


Now and for Always

by pterawaters



Series: Mr. Sandman [23]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Byers Family Has Powers (Stranger Things), Drunk Sex, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Family, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Graduation, Jonathan Byers Has Powers, Long-Distance Relationship, Military, Minor El/Mike & Will, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Minor Robin Buckley/OC, Multi, Party, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Series Finale, Wedding Night, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:07:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 41,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: Between graduating from college, starting new careers, and planning a wedding, the summer of 1990 is a busy time for Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan. When a war starts in the middle east, Jonathan gets called away just three weeks before the wedding. He’s determined to make it back in time, no matter what it takes.
Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler
Series: Mr. Sandman [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1527764
Comments: 50
Kudos: 32





	1. Graduation Party

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is it, folks! The last story in the series. It'll be the end of an era! Thank you so much for reading up to this point. I know it's a large time commitment, and I'm so happy you've found my writing entertaining enough to spend so much time reading it! I never thought I'd have a series this long, or this in-depth, but I have done it! It's made me realize that I have the capability of finishing my own original novels!
> 
> This series has also brought me a bunch of friends! This past year has been kind of a shit show, but I've made so many good friends that I can't call 2020 a complete wash! Thanks, all of you. Your comments and support have helped keep me going, and have often gotten me over hurdles when I've been stuck. Big thanks especially to wolfish_willow and falsewings for their excellent beta-reading and title-suggesting work! 
> 
> As I've mentioned before, I am going to be adapting large portions of this series to a series of original novels. I will be taking down the series on May 1st. If you want to come back to this story and reread it, I'd suggest downloading all the stories from AO3. I'm also working on putting the whole series into one pdf, and I anticipate having that done by the time I post the last chapter of this finale. Instructions for how to get a copy of that pdf will post then.
> 
> As before, this work is complete, and I will be posting one chapter every other day until they're all up. And with that, I hope you enjoy the story!

**_May 1990_ **

Steve leaned on the grocery cart, pushing it down the chip aisle as Nancy picked things out and tossed them into the basket. Jonathan walked next to Steve, one hand idly resting on the cart handle next to Steve’s. Steve brushed his pinky against Jonathan’s and asked, “Are you _absolutely_ sure, though?”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I want you guys to have fun.”

“We can have a fun graduation party without alcohol,” Nancy said, putting two jars of salsa into the cart. When Jonathan gave her a look, she shrugged. “What? We can.”

“I. Will. Be. Fine,” Jonathan insisted, giving Nancy a tug on her shirt until she was close enough to kiss. “Besides, there’s going to be at least three _wildly_ different groups of people there. Asking them to interact without alcohol is just setting ourselves up for failure.”

Standing straighter and putting his arm around Jonathan’s shoulders, Steve said, “You’ve just been making such good progress lately with smoking. We don’t want to trigger a backslide.”

“I’ll let you know if I start backsliding. Hell, _Charlie_ will let you know,” he pointed out.

“That’s true,” Nancy admitted, leading the way to the drinks aisle. “We’ll make sure to use up everything at the party, or give it away right afterward. Just in case.”

Steve had to take his arm from around Jonathan’s shoulders so he could steer the cart around the corner. “Hey, so are we thinking yes to an open bar at the wedding, then? I’ve gotta tell the venue pretty soon.”

“Sure,” Jonathan told him. “Go for it.”

“Maybe just the first few hours? Cash bar after that?” Nancy turned and gave Steve a hard look, “I _told_ you I don’t want you spending your money. Let’s spend _my_ dad’s money and save yours for the _marriage_ part. You know? The part that comes after the wedding?”

“I know.” Steve grinned. “It’s just so much more satisfying to spend my shitty dad’s money than your adequate dad’s money.”

“I don’t know that I’d rate Ted Wheeler as _adequate_ , really,” Nancy said with a little chuckle.

Jonathan said, “Hey, at least he never tried to sell you out for a couple grand. There’s shitty, and then there’s Lonnie Byers.”

Nancy shook her head. “I hate that I’m gonna share a name with that asshole."

Jonathan gave Steve an apologetic look. Steve shook his head, dismissing the apology, before telling Nancy, “It’s not too late. You can keep your name if you want.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head and frowning at the wall of pop. “I want to have the same name as you guys. It feels more permanent that way.”

Overcome with love for her, Steve abandoned the cart and wrapped his arms around Nancy, giving her a big kiss on her cheek. Nancy laughed and turned her head, kissing him on the lips before asking, “How much pop do you think we should get?”

“I don’t think we’ll need too much, if we’re also getting beer and stuff,” Steve told her, noticing that Jonathan had taken over at the helm of the cart. Steve asked him, “What do you want to drink at the party?”

“Whatever,” Jonathan said. “I fully expect to spend most of the time making sure our drunk friends don’t wreck our apartment.”

“Hey, it’s your graduation, too,” Nancy said, going over to him and hugging one of his arms. “I want you to have fun!”

“We can put Charlie on apartment protection duties,” Steve suggested, grabbing the front end of the cart and swerving it back and forth a little as he grinned at Jonathan. “She’s scary enough to pull it off.”

Jonathan laughed and nodded. “Sure.”

“C’mon, let’s make sure we get enough ice,” Nancy said, gesturing Steve toward the Coke while she grabbed a case of root beer. “Then we’ll stop by the liquor store.”

“ _Someone_ will have to wait in the car,” Steve said, giving Jonathan a _look_.

Jonathan chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Sure.”

Nancy put her pop in the cart, then kissed Jonathan’s cheek. He smiled and Steve grinned at the both of them. Just a few more months and they’d be a real family. Steve couldn’t wait.

~*~

Dustin felt kind of lame for going to Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan’s graduation party by himself. All the friends he’d made that year were either already traveling back home or still studying for their last finals. Not that any of his Northwestern friends would _want_ to go to a party for graduating seniors they didn’t know. Mike, Will, and El were still in California for two more weeks. Lucas was in New York, and Max was in Indianapolis and didn’t have a car.

Not that Dustin had a car either. He had to take the bus into the city and walk a few blocks to get to the apartment. At least he didn’t have to worry about finding a place to park. He still had two blocks to go when he spotted Steve’s red Ford across the street. Maybe Dustin’s mom was right and he should get a summer job while he was back in Hawkins. Then maybe he’d be able to afford a car by the time he graduated. Maybe. Even with a pretty hefty scholarship, Northwestern was expensive.

When Dustin got to the building, the front door was propped open. He went in and up the stairs, knocking when he got to Steve’s door. It was hard not to remember the first time he’d been here, the night Mr. Hargrove had almost killed Lucas and they didn’t know where else to go.

When the door opened, Steve was there, grinning as he said, “Hey! You made it!”

“I said I was coming, didn’t I?” Dustin grinned back, giving Steve one of their silly little secret handshakes. “I hope I’m here early enough to help!”

As he went into the main room, which was empty of people, he noticed that a few things had been removed—Jonathan’s waveform generator, one of the lamps, and the plants from the front window. Dustin suspected they’d been moved to protect them in case the party got a little rowdy. The pictures on the wall next to the kitchen were rearranged too. The one of Steve and Jonathan kissing was gone, replaced by a landscape photo Jonathan must have taken.

Gesturing to the new picture, Dustin asked, “Expecting mixed company?”

“Yeah,” Steve said with a disappointed sigh. “A lot of my classmates are going to be colleagues in the school district. Can’t really… Well, it wouldn’t be good for my career, is all.”

“That fucking sucks,” Dustin told him.

“It does,” Steve agreed. He went around the breakfast bar thing and into the kitchen, opening a cooler on the floor. “Want a beer or something?”

Brain kind of blanking out on him, Dustin said, “I’m nineteen.”

Steve laughed and said, “Yeah, maybe you should stick to pop. I don’t need _that_ ticket on my record either.” He handed Dustin a Coke. “Wanna help me put up some streamers?”

“Sure,” he replied with a shrug. “This place could look a little more festive.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Jonathan came home as they were finishing the decorations, a stack of pizza boxes in his arms. “Hey, Dustin.”

“Hey,” Dustin replied. He gestured to the room around them, “What do you think?”

Jonathan shrugged.

Dustin looked over at Steve for some sort of clue as to what that meant. Steve rolled his eyes and told him, “Well, _I_ like it and I think Nancy will like it too.”

“Where is Nancy, anyway?” Dustin asked, looking at his watch. The party was supposed to start in half an hour.

“She and Robin are clothes shopping,” Steve told him, picking up the end of the streamer roll and the masking tape, throwing them through the bedroom door. When he came back he told Dustin, “Apparently, she needed the _exact_ right dress for her first day at the Tribune, and Robin is working tomorrow, so they had to go today.”

Sitting down on the couch, Dustin said, “That’s pretty cool. Nancy getting a job at the Tribune.”

“Yeah, it’s great,” Steve insisted, sitting on the other end of the couch, turned to face Dustin. “I was kind of afraid she was going to find a job somewhere else, and we’d have to do long distance again for a bit.”

“ _That_ would have sucked,” Jonathan agreed, sitting on the arm of the couch behind Steve, throwing an arm over Steve’s shoulder.

Dustin sighed. It had been a _long_ time since Suzie, and he was really starting to wonder if she’d been his only hope for romance. What if he never met anyone else? Most of his classmates in electrical engineering were guys, and nothing against Steve and Jonathan, but that just wasn’t helping Dustin find someone he was compatible with. He’d tried joining a science club and a D&D club, and while they were both fun, again, there were very few girls, and Dustin just couldn’t compete.

Nothing like finishing freshman year, still a virgin.

Changing the subject, Dustin said, “So, what kind of music are we thinking? Something you can talk over? Something to get people dancing?”

Steve grinned up at Jonathan, which made Jonathan frown and say, “No way.”

“Come on! Everyone likes Madonna!” Steve said with a bright grin.

“ _I_ don’t like Madonna,” Jonathan insisted, but Dustin noticed the way he was _almost_ smiling.

He hoped he would have that with someone one day, have the sort of relationship where you had in-jokes and playful banter.

After a pleading look from Steve, Jonathan rolled his eyes, saying, “Once. We can listen to it once, but then I’m putting it away for the night.”

“Yes!” Steve threw his hands up into the air, which made Dustin laugh.

~*~

“Dance with me for a minute,” Nancy insisted, pulling Steve away from one of his many friends.

Laughing, Steve caught her in his arms and asked, “Just how many of those wine coolers have you had, Nance?”

“Just three,” she insisted, linking her hands behind his neck and getting him to move with her. “Oh! But I also did shots with the girls from the student paper!”

Steve laughed, pulling Nancy close and kissing her jaw. In her ear, he asked, “Who’s that talking to Dustin?”

Nancy followed where Steve was looking and grinned when she saw Dustin day something to the girl, making her laugh. “That’s Claire. She’s a sophomore on the paper with me. _Very_ smart.”

“Aw, wouldn’t it be cute if they got married?” Steve said with a happy sigh.

Nancy laughed. “Just because _we’re_ getting married doesn’t mean _everyone_ has to get married.”

“I know _that_ ,” he insisted.

Someone called Steve’s name, and he told Nancy, “I’ve got to say goodbye to these guys. Dance with…” Looking around, Steve’s eyes landed on a group of girls just beside them. “Dance with Steph and Annie and Trish!”

Steve twirled Nancy that way and then she was dancing with Steve’s teacher friends. Just to have something to talk about, Nancy said, “Hey! You guys are all graduating too, right?”

“Right,” Steph said, just before Trish – Nancy _thought_ that was Trish – spun her around, making Steph laugh.

The third girl, Annie (probably), leaned closer and asked, “You’re Nancy, right? Steve talks about you all the time.”

“Aw, he does?” Nancy asked, noticing how Annie was really _very_ pretty.

“ _Constantly_ ,” Annie insisted. “You’re lucky to have such a great boyfriend! I had to break up with my last one when he cheated on me.”

“Oh, no! That sucks so much!” Nancy cried, losing the rhythm of the music for a second before finding it again. “Who would cheat on you? You’re so pretty!”

“Thank you!” Annie replied. “Your dress is amazing!”

Looking down at her flow-y sun dress, perfect for the late May weather, Nancy told her. “Thank you! I bet you would look really good in it too. Blue is such a good color.”

“It is!” Annie agreed, and she had bright eyes and a wide smile and Nancy got halfway through working out how to take off her dress and give it to her, when she realized she really wanted to kiss someone.

She probably couldn’t kiss Annie, though, even though it sounded _really_ appealing at right that second. Just barely sober enough not to go through with it, Nancy said, “I’ve gotta go find my…” Steve was still busy at the door, but hopefully Jonathan wasn’t so busy. She told Annie, “Have fun here at the party!”

With a fucking _beautiful_ chuckle, Annie said, “Thanks! I’ll try!”

Nancy weaved her way through the party, heading for the last place she’d seen Jonathan – the kitchen. Nope. Not in the kitchen. Maybe the bathroom? Ah! There he was, in the hallway, nodding at whatever his photography friend, Kevin, was saying.

Good. He wasn’t busy!

Nancy went over and took Jonathan’s hand, saying, “Can I get your help with something?”

“Uh, yeah,” he said, before gesturing to Kevin. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“I need help over this way,” Nancy said, leading him to their bedroom.

“You want me to reach something down?” Jonathan asked, letting Nancy pull him into the room. When she closed and locked the door behind him, he raised an eyebrow. “Nancy?”

Nancy grinned at him, then pulled Jonathan into a harsh, almost biting kiss. “I can’t wait until the party’s over,” she told him, giving him another kiss. She pulled up the skirt of her sundress and pushed down her underwear. “Just, real quick. Please?”

Jonathan chuckled, but he also cupped her face in his hands, kissing her and pressing her back against the door with his body. Nancy smiled against his lips and pulled him as close as he could get. After a few more kisses, Nancy got her hands under Jonathan’s shirt, gently scratching her nails down his back.

He groaned softly before turning Nancy away from the door and walking her backwards toward the bed. When she got there he pushed her down onto it, covering her body with his, kissing her neck and grinding down against her.

Nancy was glad the music out in the living room was loud, because the moan she let out wasn’t quiet. Breathing hard, Nancy whispered, “Fuck! Get your pants off!”

Jonathan laughed again, but he undid the fly of his jeans and pushed them and his underwear down far enough. He pulled Nancy closer to the edge of the bed and pushed in, slow at first, but then faster when he felt how slick she was. Nancy bit her lip so she wouldn’t moan at the way his cock felt exactly right inside her.

“Oh, god!” she murmured. “Oh! We haven’t done enough of this lately!”

Jonathan was breathing hard as he started a quick rhythm with his hips, but he smiled down at her. “Yeah.”

Nancy pulled him into another kiss. She kissed him and she tilted up her hips to meet him, and then she was coming all of a sudden. “Shit! Oh, shit! Jonathan! Oh!”

He fucked her through it, and for a few seconds afterward, before going still. His breath was hot and fast against her neck, and his cock pulsed inside her. Still, she wanted more.

Then she remembered, “Oh, the party!”

Jonathan laughed, pushing up on his arms and looking down at her. “Just how _much_ did you drink?”

“I don’t know,” she said, pushing at his shoulder until he leaned off her and stood up. “A bunch. Oh, what if people are running out of drinks? I’ve gotta restock the coolers!”

Nancy stood up, smoothing down her dress as Jonathan pulled up his pants. As she made for the door, Jonathan said, “Nancy!”

“What?” she asked, waiting with her hand on the doorknob as Jonathan came to her. Before he got close enough to kiss, he bent down and picked up her panties from the floor.

“I think you probably want these,” he said, holding them out to her with one hand, and using the other to fix her hair.

“Jesus, you’re so right,” she said, unable to help the amused giggle that bubbled out of her. Snatching the underwear, she quickly pulled them on, wobbling a little and needing Jonathan to steady her. But then she was dressed and ready to go. “Here, lemme look at you, too,” she said, looking Jonathan up and down. “Fuck, I got some lipstick on you.”

Nancy reached up and rubbed the lipstick from just under his mouth. But that had her noticing his lips again and before she could stop herself, she’d thrown her arms over his shoulders and was kissing him again.

Jonathan laughed, but he also kissed her back twice before saying against her lips, “The party?”

“Damn it,” she said giggling again when he grinned at her. “Tomorrow, let’s spend the whole day in bed.”

“Sounds good to me,” he told her. “You want to tell Steve the plan, or should I?”

“Ooh, let me!” Nancy said, brushing her hands over her hair once more before unlocking the door and rejoining the party, Jonathan trailing after in her wake.

God, parties were so much fun! They should have parties more often!

~*~

Jonathan had to admit that the party was more enjoyable than he thought it would be. It was a little difficult to have to watch everyone else drinking while he stuck to pop, but he supposed it helped that he’d never really had a drink for fun’s sake. Only as self medication. And it had been years since then, so the cravings were slowly fading.

Plus, he found if he opened his shield just the tiniest bit, he got a lot of second-hand joy of those around him and none of the pain that had made him start self-medicating in the first place. The quickie with Nancy didn’t hurt either.

By midnight, the party started to wane a bit. Some of Steve’s friends had left to go to a different graduation party. Dustin was in a corner, talking animatedly with one of Nancy’s friends. And…

And Robin was passed out on the couch, Charlie sitting on the arm of the couch next to her, talking with Kevin about music. Oh. _Classical_ music. Yeah, that made more sense from what Jonathan knew about Kevin — which at this point was probably a lot more than Kevin knew about him. Still, Jonathan found it relaxing almost, having a friend who was never at a loss for words, and who didn’t seem to mind Jonathan only contributing to the conversation occasionally.

Heading over there, Jonathan asked Charlie, _Is Robin okay?_

_Yeah, she’s good. Too little sleep lately, too many shots. She’ll be fine. Once the hangover wears off._

Jonathan chuckled, covering his smile with his mouth so Kevin wouldn’t notice them “talking” in front of him.

“Oh, hey, Jonathan!” Kevin said, turning toward him. “I just found out! I got that job in L.A. They want me out there in two weeks!”

“Hey, congratulations!” Jonathan told him, going in for a celebratory handshake, but getting a hug instead. “I’m so happy for you.”

“My mom’s gonna shit a brick when she finds out I’m moving so far away,” Kevin said, shaking his head. “But I think it’ll be a good experience. She has my younger sister, after all.”

Jonathan couldn’t remember whether Kevin had ever mentioned his sister, but it seemed likely that somewhere in the waterfall of words that came out of him, he would have. So, Jonathan nodded politely. “Two weeks. That’s not a lot of time to pack up,” he pointed out, steering the conversation away from any topics that would require Jonathan to remember anything about this sister of Kevin’s.

“Oh!” Kevin said, looking at his watch. “Shit! It’s late. I promised my family I’d go to brunch with them in the morning.”

Jonathan chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, you should probably head out. Thanks for coming by.”

“Hey, no problem! It’s been fun! Your roommate has really good taste in music, and in beer!” He lifted his beer bottle in Jonathan’s direction.

Concerned that he might have driven to the party, Jonathan asked him, “You’re not driving home, are you?”

“Nah, gonna catch the L,” Kevin assured him before looking at his watch. “Yeah, I think one’s coming soon. I should head out.”

“Hey, call me before you leave town,” Jonathan told him. “We should have lunch before you go.”

Kevin grinned, setting his beer on the breakfast bar along with a dozen others. “Yeah, that would be cool! See you later, Jon!”

“Bye!”

Jonathan hoped like hell he wasn’t going to be called out of town anytime soon. He found he really didn’t want to miss having one last lunch with his friend.

As he wandered past Steve playing some sort of card-based drinking game with his friends and Nancy having an animated discussion (about … the library?), Jonathan made his way back to Charlie. Nodding to Robin, Jonathan asked her, “You want me to put her in your old room?”

Charlie narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend and then turned to Jonathan and smirked. “I will give you ten bucks if you let me steal some of Nancy’s makeup.”

Frowning at the request, but still amused, Jonathan asked her, “For what?”

“Rules are rules,” she said, raising her eyebrows and heading back toward the bathroom. Jonathan followed her as she continued, saying, “If you let yourself fall asleep at a party, you get fucked with.”

“So you’re going to put makeup on her?”

Flipping on the bathroom light and opening the vanity drawer where Nancy kept her bathroom things, Charlie replied, “I’m going to draw a dick on her forehead.”

The suggestion surprised a loud laugh out of Jonathan. He put a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise. “No! You can’t!”

Nancy’s mischievous smile on her face, Charlie said, “Oh, I’m going to. Get your camera. I want this documented.”

“And you’re _sure_ Robin won’t break up with you for doing that to her?”

Charlie scoffed. “Robin knows that rules are rules. I bet she’ll laugh her ass off when we show her the picture.”

Jonathan didn’t catch any trace of a lie in Charlie’s words — though he had to admit she could probably fool him if she wanted to — so he laughed again and nodded. “Okay. I’ll get my camera.”

Five minutes later, Robin was still fast asleep and Jonathan was trying to get just the right angle on Charlie’s _masterfully_ drawn graffiti. He told Charlie, “That’s almost too well-drawn to be funny.”

Grinning at him, Charlie said, “I know, isn’t it?” Then she nudged Jonathan’s shoulder. “Get the picture quick, before all the laughing wakes her up.”

Shrugging, Jonathan lifted his camera to his eye and lined up the best shot he could manage, given the lack of proper lighting and the way he knew the flash would cause a glare. He ended up taking a couple, just to make sure one would turn out, before Steve appeared next to him, throwing an arm over Jonathan’s shoulders.

“Wow. Real mature, you guys,” Steve said, keeping a straight face for about two seconds before he devolved into helpless giggles.

Nancy pushed herself between Jonathan and Steve, pausing for half a second before laughing loudly as well.

Robin frowned, her eyebrows drawing together, distorting the drawing on her forehead. “Mmm, wha’sss?” she mumbled.

“Nothing, honey. It’s okay,” Charlie told her, petting her hair until she fell back asleep. Looking up at them, Charlie held out a makeup pencil. “Anyone else want a turn?”

“Ooh, me!” Steve said, grabbing the pencil and crouching down in front of Robin. When he was done, Robin had whiskers fanning out from her nose, across her cheeks. “What do you think?”

“It’s not a dick,” Charlie told him. “But I’ll allow it.”

Jonathan laughed, putting his arm around Nancy when she tucked herself in next to him, burying her face against his chest. Her shoulders shook with laughter, and the happiness he felt coming from her was so bright, he could hardly stand it.


	2. Chapter 2

**_July 1990_ **

Jonathan pulled up to the Springfield house, sighing with relief that his long drive was finally over. June had been busy with a seemingly never-ending list of missions. As the former USSR broke up and the countries of Eastern Europe formed their own governments, Jonathan’s handlers had an endless list of intelligence they “needed” to know.

As far as Jonathan was concerned, someone with average senses and more training than him would probably have done better than he had. Sure, he and Charlie could get in places a little faster and leave less of an evidence trail, but nothing would have been all that difficult for any of the spies Jonathan had met over the past few years.

At least they’d let him come home for the 4th of July.

The front door opened while Jonathan was still making his way up the driveway. “Jonathan!”

Hopping down the porch stairs, Jonathan’s little sister, Jenny, reached him in about three seconds flat. He laughed and braced for the impact that almost knocked him from his feet.

“Hey, kiddo! How’s it going?” Noticing Hopper and Jake in the doorway, Jonathan waved to them. He didn’t see his mother, but he could tell she was close.

“Where’s Steve?” Jenny asked, looking past him at the car he’d rented for the drive. “And Nancy? Aren’t they coming?”

Jonathan assured her, “They’re driving down tomorrow morning. Nancy had to work, and Steve was running something at the Alexander Center today.”

As he reached Jake, and then Hop, he gave them hugs, glad to see them for the first time since graduation. “How’s everyone doing here?”

“Can’t complain,” Hop said, before holding up a finger when Jake opened his mouth. “Nope. I know you’re eighteen and you’re headed to college soon, but tomorrow is an important _family_ day.”

Jake made a frustrated groan and turned to Jonathan. “How’d you get mom and dad to let you do stuff? Important stuff?”

“Like a party?” Jonathan went into the house, Jake following right after. He told Jake, “Guess I kinda lucked out. I was already eighteen when Hop joined the family.”

“Unfair,” Jake grumbled again, stomping into the house. Jonathan shared an amused look with Hop before following.

He found his mother in the kitchen, stirring a pot of gravy. “Hi!” she said, leaving the gravy to hug him quickly before returning to it. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

Jonathan smiled, leaning against the counter. “How are you doing, Mom?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” she insisted, giving Jonathan a tired smile.

“El and Will are coming tomorrow, aren’t they?” Jonathan asked her, reaching for the spoon in her hand and taking over.

Joyce sighed and rubbed at her temples, leaning against Jonathan’s shoulder and giving him another one-armed hug as he stirred the gravy. “I thought they were going to come home for summer. Jake’s leaving for college in six weeks. All my babies are growing up and leaving me!”

“You’ve got Jenny for another, what? Eight years?” Judging that the gravy was probably done enough, he turned off the stove and turned to face his mother. Maybe this could wait until later, after dinner or something, but Jonathan had been putting it off too long as it was. “I have something I need to ask you.”

“Yes, you can move back home and stay here forever.” Joyce grinned, which made Jonathan laugh.

“No, Mom! I’m trying to ask you something serious.”

Joyce bit her lips together and nodded, her eyes wide with anticipation. “Okay.”

He’d rehearsed this a couple times in the car on the way down to Springfield, but all those words just fled his mind, leaving it blank. All he got out was, “The wedding.”

“What about it?”

“Steve and Nancy are getting married, but…” he sighed and looked away from her, like that would make it easier to talk about this. “We want to have a smaller ceremony the day before. For the three of us.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Joyce said, rubbing Jonathan’s arm. “How are you feeling about the fact that they’re making it official? Do you feel left out?”

“No,” he said with a frown. “Not really. I mean, Nancy’s been my wife since Cedarville. Steve changed his name for me. Nothing’s going to take those things away. But…” He met Joyce’s eyes and gave her the small smile he was capable of putting on at that moment. “We want to have our own, unofficial ceremony. And we want you to officiate it.”

“Officiate? The ceremony?” Joyce asked, frowning.

If all he’d been able to read was her face, Jonathan would have been worried she was going to decline. Instead, despite the way she was shielding, he felt joy and love radiating from her as brightly as if she was the sun. Smiling at her, Jonathan asked, “So, what do you say? Will you do it?”

“Will I…?” Joyce scoffed and pulled Jonathan into a tight hug. “Of course, I will! Of course!”

Jonathan laughed, more relieved than he was willing to admit. He returned his mother’s hug, holding her for a long moment until she finally pulled back.

Joyce brushed a few tears from her face, “Is there, um, something in particular you want me to say?”

“Probably,” Jonathan said with a nod, “but we’re still working on what we want it to be like.” Giving half a shrug, he asked her, “If you have suggestions, we’d love your input. After all, you were the first person who knew we were together.”

Looking down pensively, she said, “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” Giving a little laugh, she shook her head. “You guys were so embarrassed. It was cute.”

“Did you think it would last this long?”

Joyce looked at Jonathan for a long moment, all that love of hers still sneaking through her shield. “No, but I hoped you would be happy.” She put her hand on the center of his chest and smiled.

Jonathan placed his hand over hers. “I _am_ happy.”

“I can tell.”

Jonathan chuckled and pulled his mom into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Oh, thank me after. I’m not much of a public speaker.” She let go and took half a step back, grinning.

“Well,” Jonathan said, watching as Jenny came into the kitchen, Jake and Hop close behind. “It’s a good thing it’s just going to be close family.”

“What is?” Jenny asked, climbing into her chair at the table.

“A special pre-wedding celebration,” Jonathan told her, giving Joyce’s arm a squeeze before heading over to sit at the table as well. “But don’t worry. You’re invited.”

Hopper cleared his throat and gave Joyce a look before saying, “There’s a matter I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Frowning with concern, Jonathan asked, “What?”

“The fact that a certain percentage of the guest list thinks I’m dead.”

Jonathan couldn’t _believe_ he’d forgotten about that. As he thought through it, he came to the conclusion that the only people who didn’t know and would likely care were Nancy’s parents. “Sh– shoot,” he said, amending his speech since Jenny was there. “What should we do about that?”

“I could stay behind,” Hop offered. “Hold down the fort here?”

“No!” Jonathan insisted, looking to Joyce for some help. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

With a sharp cough, Hop looked down at the table and subtly smiled. “That’s, uh... That’s kind of you to say.”

“It’s true,” Jonathan insisted, maybe belaboring the point a little because it was fun to embarrass Hop this way. “I know Steve would be devastated if you weren’t there. I mean, he’s not inviting Fred.”

Jonathan watched the way this statement landed and noted the moment when Hop made the connection. Steve’s dad, for all intents and purposes, was Hopper.

Before he could go too far down that rabbit hole, Joyce asked, “Who would have to be read in? Can we trust them?”

Hop tapped his fingers on the table for a moment. “I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult to invoke witness protection. Maybe something having to do with Larry Kline’s corruption prosecution?”

“What’s corruption?” Jenny asked, carefully folding, then unfolding, a paper napkin she’d taken from the holder in the center of the table.

Speaking carefully, but straightforwardly. Hop told her, “It’s people in charge making decisions based on what’s good for them, instead of what’s good for the people. It’s something a bad guy does.”

“Larry was a bad guy?”

“Still is, probably,” Hop replied.

Bringing the discussion back around, Jonathan said, “I think the only people who would recognize you are either already in the know or are Nancy’s parents.”

After a thoughtful moment, Joyce asked, “What about her parents’ friends? Are any of them invited?”

“I don’t think so,” Jonathan told him. “I can ask when Nancy and Steve get here tomorrow.”

Hopper nodded. “It’s been years now. Anyone who didn’t know me before probably wouldn’t remember my face from the papers. But just...” Hop sighed. “I hate to do this, but if you want me to come, I need to be able to veto guests.”

“Obviously not Nancy’s parents,” Joyce said, handing a stack of plates to Jonathan. He started placing them around the table. “You can’t veto her parents.”

“I suppose not.”

“I don’t think Karen’s going to be a problem,” Jonathan offered. “And I doubt Ted will notice you. I don’t even think he knows who _I_ am.”

With a chuckle, Hop raised his eyebrows and nodded. “You’re probably right about that.”

“See?” Joyce said, handing Jake the silverware. “There’s nothing to worry about. It’s going to be a very special day.”

Jonathan hoped so. Nancy and Steve deserved to have the best wedding day. Jonathan only hoped his handlers at the CIA were going to honor his demand that he have that whole week, plus the honeymoon trip to Paris, off work.

Summer had been one thing after another, what with things in the middle east being tense, on the brink of a war that was looking more and more likely. Jonathan knew the work was important, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was on the wrong side of things, without any idea how to get to the right side. Or at least, all the ideas he had meant losing his family, the people who were most important to him in the world.

It was claustrophobic and infuriating, but Jonathan could deal, since it meant protecting his loved ones. He would keep them safe, whatever it took. Whatever the cost. 

~*~

Nancy was at the wheel of the car, eyes on the road, when beside her, Steve said, “This is the last holiday before we’re going to be married.”

Thinking through this statement, Nancy took a moment before she realized, “You’re right.”

“I mean,” he added quickly, “we’ve spent every holiday together since before we got engaged. So, it’s not going to be that different.”

“It might be.” Nancy drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t either.” He reached over and put his hand on Nancy’s thigh, just sort of resting there comfortably. “Things didn’t really get any different after I changed my name, but I was already part of Jonathan’s family before that. Think your dad’ll like me any better once we’re married?”

Nancy chuckled and smiled over at Steve. “Doubtful. He doesn’t really like anything that isn’t work.”

“True.”

During the long, comfortable silence that followed, Nancy thought about how things could possibly change. She and Jonathan had gotten married three years previous. Granted, that had been under different names, in a different time, but it had … _solidified_ something between them. There was something about making that promise that transcended the words they’d used. She hoped the same would be true when she married Steve at the end of the summer.

She reached over, running her hand through his hair before trailing it down his shoulder and arm. By the time she got to his hand on her thigh, he’d turned it over, ready for her to press her palm against his. So often lately, it felt like it was just her and Steve, and almost separately Jonathan, whenever he got back into town. Still, there were those vows to fall back on, the steady trust she had that he would do everything in his power to come back to her.

“Do you think,” she asked Steve as they exited the freeway in Springfield, “that being sort-of-married to Jonathan makes it easier for you to let him travel for work? Like, we both know he wouldn’t leave _for good_?”

“I don’t think _anything_ makes letting him go easier.” Steve squeezed her hand. “But I can kind of see what you’re getting at. Like, there’s something about him being our _husband_ rather than our boyfriend? Or fiancé.”

Nancy hummed thoughtfully. “I should’ve driven down with him yesterday. I could’ve let Glen take my assignment. We don’t get to spend enough time with Jonathan as it is.”

Steve sighed, but said, “He wouldn’t have wanted you to. You’re already missing work often enough because of the wedding planning and everything.”

“Not _that_ much work.” She squeezed his hand once more, before letting go so she could make a turn. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re doing so much of it. Not many men would support their fiancé’s career like you’ve been supporting mine.”

“Other men are assholes,” Steve said, grinning at Nancy when she glanced over at him. “Except for Jonathan. Congrats, Nance. You managed to bag two of the good ones.”

“He says about himself,” Nancy said under her breath, laughing when Steve made an affronted noise in response. “No, I agree. I am a very, very lucky woman.”

Scooting over in his seat, Steve kissed Nancy’s jaw and said, “We’re incredibly lucky, too. Jonathan and I have the best girl in the whole world.”

Nancy laughed, but she let Steve kiss her face once more before tapping on his chest. “I have to be able to see the road, you know.”

“You mean you don’t have secret psychic powers that let you drive without seeing?” Steve gave a mock-surprised gasp. “I have been deceived! How dare you?”

Still laughing, Nancy turned off the main road and into the Byers’ neighborhood. “Wanna bet that Jonathan’s out front, waiting for us?”

“I’m not stupid enough to take _that_ bet,” Steve insisted, but she could tell by the way he had his hands planted firmly on his knees that he was excited to be back in the Springfield house. This place was home for him more than it was for Nancy. After all, he’d lived here the year before college. Nancy could say she was comfortable staying in the house. But it didn’t really feel like _home_ to her, despite all the time she’d spent there over the years. She supposed it had never been the place where she kept her _stuff_. Not the way it was for Steve.

As she pulled up in front of the house, parking behind the twins’ old station wagon (though it was Jake’s now, wasn’t it?) Nancy saw she’d been right. Jonathan was waiting for them. “You owe me ten bucks,” she told Steve.

He rolled his eyes and said, “Put it on my tab,” before getting out of the car. He jogged up to the house, holding his arms open until Jonathan was close enough to wrap them around him. Nancy fished her purse out of the passenger leg well before following him. Even though she’d seen him off the previous morning, Nancy couldn’t help but hold onto Jonathan just a _little_ too tightly, for a couple seconds too long.

“You okay?” he asked, framing her face with his hands.

Nodding, Nancy smiled. “I’m perfect.”

He smiled and kissed her. “Come on. Your brother got in an hour ago. He’s out back with everyone.”

She hadn’t seen Mike since Christmas break. Supposedly, he’d been back to Hawkins for a couple days after his spring term ended, but she’d been too busy with her new job to make the drive to see him.

That was just how it went, wasn’t it? As you got older, you saw your siblings and your parents less?

Still, when Nancy followed Jonathan through the house and stepped into the back yard, it felt like there were far too many people between her and her brother. After hugging Joyce and El, Nancy made it to Mike. “Hey,” she said, frowning up at him. “Have you grown since Christmas?”

He wrapped his long arms around her and hugged tightly before saying, “I don’t know. Maybe? Will keeps complaining that I’m too much taller than him.”

“Will should be happy enough he’s taller than Jonathan.”

“That’s what _I_ said.”

Nancy laughed. “It’s good to see you.”

“Oh, did you hear?” Mike asked, following Nancy to the cooler on the back porch, where Jonathan was pulling out a drink for her.

“What?”

“Holly broke her foot and the gymnastics coach kicked her out of the fourth of July parade. Mom and Dad are bringing her here. They should get here soon.”

“Oh,” Nancy said, opening the pop Jonathan had handed her, the fizz of it giving her something to focus on while she processed this. “What about Hop? They don’t know–”

“Jonathan told me they want Mom to find out now, so she doesn’t freak out about it at the wedding.” Mike laughed, but his smile fell when Nancy didn’t join him. “What?”

“I just didn’t mentally prepare to see Mom today.”

Mike laughed at her. “Why would you need to prepare? She’s just _Mom_.”

“Because she’s been on my ass like crazy about the wedding stuff, and I don’t think I can tell her for the millionth time that Steve has more answers to her questions than I do.”

“You know what?” Mike said, giving Nancy a sideways hug. “I’ll run interference with Mom, if you want.”

Giving him a side long look, Nancy asked, “What’s the cost for something like that?”

“Can’t I do you this favor out of brotherly love?” He argued, but Nancy could see the twinkle in his eye that meant he was up to something.

“What do you want?”

“Well, they’re staying over, because the fireworks are so late,” Mike explained, smiling when El came over and put herself under his arm. “And I need someone to distract the parents, so they don’t notice when I end up in El’s room instead of Will’s.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “You realize you’re nineteen years old, right?”

Mike frowned at her.

“You’re an adult, living on the other side of the country from your parents. You don’t need to sneak around just because you want to sleep in the same room as your girlfriend. No one cares.”

El looked up at Mike and said, “See? It’s fine.”

Nancy gestured to El and nodded, backing her up. “But if you really want me to, I will have _one_ conversation with mom about wedding stuff when you need me to. _One_.”

Mike grinned. “Thanks, Nance! You’re my favorite sister.”

Nancy laughed. “Don’t tell Holly that. She’d be devastated.”

“She’d get over it.”

Laughing again, Nancy realized she’d missed her brother this last year more than she thought she would. “So, how’s California?”

Mike looked down at El, who smiled up at him, before answering. “It’s honestly, amazing. The classwork is hard, but really fun. The weather is… I will _never_ miss snow. Not after spending a winter on the coast.” He took a sip of the pop in his hand. “What about you? How’s the new job?”

“Good. Busy.” Nancy watched Steve laughing with Hop about something as they poked at the grill. Jonathan was talking to Jake and Will, Jenny hanging onto his back and shrieking with laughter when he pretended to drop her. She told her brother, “It’s good to take a break, be with family for the day.”

Hugging El close, Mike said, “Yeah. It is.”

~*~

Steve laid out on the blanket from his and Jonathan’s bed at the Springfield house, gazing up at the quickly darkening sky over the park. He had Jonathan laying close on his right side, and Nancy with her head pillowed on his left arm. There wasn’t enough privacy to cuddle Jonathan the way he wanted to, but he managed to tangle a few of his fingers with Jonathan’s fairly discreetly. It probably helped that they were surrounded by family, creating a nice buffer between them and any neighboring fireworks watchers who might take exception to him holding hands with his husband.

“You know what this reminds me of?” he asked, soft enough so only Nancy and Jonathan would hear.

“What?”

“Leaving Cedarville. You guys getting the first ring you could find for me.”

Jonathan squeezed his fingers, and Nancy turned toward Steve, putting her hand on his chest, over the ring still on the chain around his neck. “That was a good day.”

“It was,” he agreed, thinking about how he was going to be able to wear the ring on his hand soon, where everyone could see it.

The first firework popped in the sky, followed closely after by another one. Jonathan shifted a little closer, probably cold as the humid heat of the summer day faded to cool and clammy. Nancy kissed his jaw.

Steve turned toward her and kissed her, ignoring the fireworks for a moment, in favor of his fiancé. Smiling against her lips, he said, “This has been a good day too.”

“Yeah, better than I thought it was going to be—” The crash of a firework interrupted her, “—when I heard my parents were coming.”

Steve gave a little laugh and hugged her tighter.

It felt like summer had just started, but Steve knew it wouldn’t be long before it would be the end of summer, and time for the wedding. Nancy’s parents had taken news of Hop’s survival well, so that helped clear up a few lingering questions he had about the day itself. Most everything was set. Steve wasn’t quite sure how he’d done it, because he _still_ felt like the stupid kid in class, but there just wasn’t much left for him to do.

So, he laid out on the blanket with his husband and his fiancé and he tried to just... let go and relax. Enjoy the show. Not think about Starcourt, or monsters, or the wedding, or anything. He was only somewhat successful, on those fronts, but it was better than nothing, he supposed.

The firework show built up to a climax, and Steve noticed Will leave the area, El and Mike close on his heels. He watched Jonathan watch them go, so Steve pulled him close and asked, “Everything okay?”

Jonathan put his lips close to Steve’s ear and told him, “I think Will just got a little overwhelmed. He’ll be okay.”

Nodding, Steve pulled Nancy closer and squeezed her. Someday maybe the whole family could enjoy fireworks again. Someday.


	3. Chapter 3

Nancy got home early for once, having finished her assignments and turned them all in to her editor. She had the prospect of a whole weekend off, and since they were her last days off before the wedding and honeymoon, Nancy was intent on using them to relax.

Getting in the bath and putting her feet up sounded absolutely heavenly. She put her purse on its hook in the closet and went into the kitchen first for a glass of water. Mid-summer was always hot and humid as hell, and after her walk from the L, Nancy felt more than a little parched. As she turned away from the sink, taking a few long swallows, she noticed the light on the answering machine was on.

After pressing the button, Nancy listened to the message. “Hi, Nancy. This is Ursula at Perry’s Bridal. There’s been a, um... well, there’s a problem with your dress. We were doing the alterations, and I’m sorry to say this, but there was an accident and your dress is unsalvageable. Obviously, we’ll refund you the entire cost of the dress, since this was our fault. We know the date of the wedding is coming up soon, and we’d really like to get you squared away. Can you call us to set up an appointment as soon as possible? We have some off-the-rack dresses that are similar to what you picked out.” Ursula gave the bridal shop number again before saying, “I am just so, so sorry that this has happened.”

Nancy closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly so she wouldn’t give herself an aneurysm or a heart attack or something. Then she picked up the phone.

~

“Thank you for coming with me,” Nancy said to Robin and Charlie as they crossed the parking lot to Perry’s Bridal. “My mom couldn’t drive up on such short notice.”

“She helped you pick out the first dress?” Robin asked, taking a few quick steps until she was at the door, pulling it open and holding it for Nancy.

“Yeah. Honestly, it was really stressful having her here for that. She had...” Nancy sighed before finishing her thought. “... _opinions_.”

“Gotcha,” Charlie said, walking into the boutique and looking around. She pointed to one of the mannequins and said, “My wedding dress was kind of like this one.”

It was a simple, knee-length dress with embroidered embellishments, but not much else.

Robin chuckled, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear anything white.”

“No?” Charlie asked with a smirk. She took one of the dresses off the rack and held it up to her front. “Not really my color, right?”

Nancy thought Charlie would look beautiful in the dress, but she knew better than to say so out loud.

A woman came from a back room and stopped behind the register counter. “Hi, Nancy? I’m Ursula.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Nancy said, raising her hand for a second. She looked the woman in the eye and said, “I’m getting married three weeks from today. What are my chances of being able to wear a dress like the one I picked out before?”

The woman sighed and said, “The one you ordered was custom. We don’t have time to make another dress, but we can pick one off the rack a size or two up and alter it to fit like it was custom. We might have to compromise on a few aspects of the dress.”

Nodding, Nancy swallowed her disappointment. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Right.” Ursula moved to a rack of dresses near the fitting room. “I took the initiative to pull a few dresses that were similar to the one you ordered. Let’s see if we can’t find one you’ll fall in love with.”

Nancy wanted to say that she wasn’t exactly _specific_ on the type of person she fell in love with, and maybe that would translate to dresses, but she bit her tongue. Coming out to the dress lady wasn’t strictly necessary, by any means. The important people in her life knew, and that was good enough. For now.

Twenty minutes later, Nancy was wearing a dress with off-the-shoulder short sleeves, beading on the bodice, and a long, full skirt with a train. Robin grinned at her, and Charlie actually looked a little bit like she was going to cry.

“Not going soft on me, are you, Everly?” Nancy asked, grinning to show she was joking.

Charlie cleared her throat and said, “This one. This is the one.”

“It’s expensive,” Nancy pointed out. “My dad’s gonna–”

“He’s not gonna do shit,” Robin insisted. “Not when he sees you in it! You look amazing!”

“Yeah?” Nancy asked, looking in the mirror. The bust was a little big, but the waist and hips fit pretty well already. Looking over at Ursula, Nancy asked, “Do you think it needs to be hemmed?”

“Yes, I think so. Do you know what shoes you’ll be wearing? That would help us hem to the right measurement.”

Closing her eyes and sighing, Nancy said, “I left them at home. I totally forgot to bring them.” Really, could nothing go right when it came to getting her dress?

Paging through her notes, Ursula asked, “Were you wearing them when we took these previous measurements? We can hem it to match.”

“Yes.” Nancy nodded, sighing with relief. “Okay. Let’s go with this one.”

This was one less thing she needed to worry about before the wedding.

~*~

Jonathan got back to the apartment first, having finished the freelance assignment he had with a local magazine. He’d dropped off the negatives, and the prints he’d made, and that was the end of it. Having nothing better to do, he’d deposited his check in the bank, picked up lunch, ate it in the park, and still made it back home far before any of the others.

Unused to having nothing to do after a year of working for the CIA while also pursuing his degree, Jonathan couldn’t just sit there without a purpose. After going through the options, he put some music on the radio and began cleaning out the fridge. He started with throwing out all the food he’d insisted on saving, only for no one to end up eating it. It hurt him to do it, to see all that food go to waste, even though he knew they could afford it now. He just… he spent too many years saving every scrap of uneaten food so his family wouldn’t run out and go hungry before the next paycheck came in.

When he got back from taking the garbage out, the music on the radio had been replaced with a broadcast. “…declared that the United States will begin a military response to the invasion. No indications of the breadth of the response have been reported, but given what President Bush has previously said about preserving democracy across the globe, analysts agree that maneuvers are likely to be extensive.”

“Shit,” Jonathan said out loud, closing the apartment door behind him. Everyone he worked with had figured this wasn’t a matter of _if_ it would happen, but _when_ . Not that Jonathan believed in any sort of deity, but he’d been praying for _months_ that this turn of events wouldn’t happen until after the wedding and the honeymoon.

His prayers didn’t work.

The wedding wasn’t even three weeks away. With a sigh, Jonathan finished cleaning up the kitchen. He was halfway through packing when the phone rang. He grabbed the wireless from the kitchen counter, knowing it wasn’t anyone he wanted to talk to. “Byers residence.”

“Jonathan Byers, please,” said the voice on the other end. He recognized the east-coast, D.C. accent, if not the particular voice calling him this time.

Wanting to get this over with, Jonathan muttered, “Just tell me where and when.”

“Security code, please.”

Jonathan sighed again and said the string of numbers and letters they’d given to him two months ago, when the previous one had expired.

“Your flight leaves out of O’Hare at 0700 tomorrow morning. Tickets will be at the Delta Airlines desk.”

“Great.” Jonathan tried not to take it out on the messenger, but he was having difficulty holding onto his manners when Schroeder _knew_ he had an important family event. What really bothered him was the fact that he’d had to tell his handlers that he was _in_ a family wedding, not that he was one of the people getting married. He’d had to tell them he was going on a long-planned vacation, not that it was his _honeymoon_.

Figuring it couldn’t hurt, Jonathan asked the agent on the phone, “Any information about how long this trip is going to last?”

“Sorry, no.” She rustled some paper before saying, “I do see in your file a set of black-out dates coming up. Not much we can do about that when it comes to warfare missions. We all have to make sacrifices.”

“Yeah, but the difference is _you_ willingly signed up to make those sacrifices. I didn’t.”

“I wouldn’t know about that, Agent Byers.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a sarcastic sigh. “O’Hare. 0700 Delta to Washington National. I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, Agent Byers. Have a nice trip.”

“Thanks.”

Jonathan ended the call and looked down at the wireless handset. He had half a mind to throw it against the wall in frustration. He didn’t, because it wasn’t just his phone. It belonged to Steve and Nancy too, and they didn’t deserve to have their shit ruined just because Jonathan couldn’t control himself. He could. He was becoming a master at it, as exhausting as it was _all the time_ . Not that he was _angry_ all the time. When he was at home, he was mostly happy. Content.

But when the people in charge of him kept calling on him again, and again, and _again_ , well… He started to lose track of the reasons he’d agreed to this in the first place.

Sure, it was interesting work, and often important. Jonathan knew there were very few people who could do what he and Charlie could do, especially together. If it wasn’t him, it was going to be Charlie on her own. Or even worse, El or Will in his place. Hell, they might even go after Jenny if he broke his end of the bargain.

But when was he going to be _done_ ? When was he finally going to be able to live his life more than a day at a time? How was he going to get his career as a photojournalist off the ground when he couldn’t guarantee that the federal government wasn’t going to pull him away at any moment? He was going to have to be freelance _forever_.

It sucked.

Jonathan got halfway packed before he noticed Steve getting close, done with his work. He was blindingly happy, and Jonathan knew it was going to be his fault when that happiness ended. He finished packing — which wasn’t all that difficult, since he kept his bag half-packed at all times — and met Steve at the door.

“What’s going on?” Jonathan asked him, surprised when Steve closed the apartment door and then grasped Jonathan’s face with both hands and kissed him roughly.

When he pulled back, Steve cried out, “I got the job! Middle school PE at Louis Hyde School! I start after we get back from Paris!”

Grinning, Jonathan kissed Steve again. “That’s great, baby! Congratulations!”

“This is so… I wanna celebrate!” Steve cried, kissing Jonathan again, making it deeper, swiping his tongue against Jonathan’s lower lip. His voice was softer and lower when he asked, “Are you…? I mean, can we…?” Steve nodded toward their bedroom.

Jonathan realized just how few hours he had left with Steve — and Nancy, once she got home from work — before he had to leave them. Before he possibly had to miss the wedding. _Their_ wedding.

“Yeah,” he said with a nod, giving Steve a desperate kiss before taking his hand and pulling him toward the bedroom. The air conditioner wasn’t keeping up with the summer heat, so it was warmer in the bedroom than usual. Taking his shirt off was a relief. Soon enough he was naked on the bed, Steve equally naked and on top of him. It felt nice, being pushed into the mattress.

Jonathan held Steve close, one arm around his back, the other on his face as they kissed. “What do you want?” he murmured against Steve’s lips. “It’s your celebration.”

Laughing, his lips still smiling as he kissed Jonathan again, Steve told him, “Oh, I’ve got some ideas.” Then Steve rolled them over, his hands finding their way to Jonathan’s butt, massaging and squeezing.

It felt good, and sparked a craving in him that he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sate while he was away. Jonathan brought his knees up, straddling Steve’s hips, grinding against his cock. He tore himself away from kissing Steve long enough to grab the lube from the nightstand drawer.

“Yeah,” Steve said as Jonathan knelt above him and scooted back far enough to get his cock coated. “Fuck, oh! Sweetheart, that feels so good!” He sat up, pulling Jonathan into another kiss.

Jonathan kept kissing Steve as best he could while working himself down onto Steve’s cock. It felt incredible, if a little tight.

“Hey, hey,” Steve whispered, his hands tight on Jonathan’s hips. “Slow down. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Jonathan almost admitted that he wanted it to hurt a little, before he realized how fucked up that was. He didn’t need to punish himself for having to leave. It wasn’t his fault, as much as he felt like it was. “Just want you so bad,” he told Steve as he lifted off and sat back, letting Steve add some more lube to his cock.

“C’mere,” he said when he was done, helping Jonathan back onto him. He groaned low in his throat, and so did Jonathan, feeling every satisfying inch of his decent. “Fuck, yeah. Like that,” Steve murmured, pressing his face into Jonathan’s neck as gasping as he bottomed out.

Jonathan stayed there for a moment, grinding his hips in a slow circle that set off sparks throughout his body. He found Steve’s lips with his own, moaning as he caught just the right angle for Steve’s cock to brush against his prostate as he lifted up and dropped back down. “Oh, fuck...” It felt too good, making his body shake and his legs weak. It took him a moment to work up the strength to do it again.

“Yeah, that’s good. You’re so good,” Steve sighed, lips trailing along Jonathan’s jaw and neck as he used his hands in Jonathan’s ass to help him lift up and drop down again. He leaned back a bit, looking at Jonathan as he said, “So pretty like this. God, your eyes are so gorgeous.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh, even though he knew Steve was trying to be sweet, saying those things. “Steve!”

“It’s true,” Steve insisted, moving his right hand from under Jonathan’s thigh to wrap around his leaking cock, stroking it with just a _hint_ of pressure. “Can’t I say true things about my husband?”

“Oh!” Jonathan shivered with pleasure, rocking his hips so Steve’s cock would rub against his prostate _just_ right. “Baby, I– Ah!”

“I could watch you like this forever, that flush on your neck, that pout on your lip, I just wanna–”

Steve pulled Jonathan into another kiss, sucking on his bottom lip, licking at his tongue. His hand left Jonathan’s cock, earning a wordless noise of complaint.

“Shit, I gotta...” Steve wrapped his arms around Jonathan and rolled them over, putting Jonathan’s back on the mattress. He pulled out and slammed back in, making Jonathan shudder. “Oh, did that hurt?”

“No, no,” Jonathan told him, wrapping his legs around Steve’s waist. “Do that again!”

Steve groaned and followed orders. “You feel so...” Without finishing that thought, he sped up, breathing hard.

Jonathan held on and met Steve’s thrusts as best he could, watching his face. He had his eyes closed, his brows creased, his mouth open. Jonathan wished he could take a picture, bring this moment with him while he was gone.

Steve pressed in one more time and stayed there, groaning as his cock pumped inside Jonathan. He hugged Steve close, holding him tightly as he came, pressing kisses to his face and neck.

Turning his face, Steve returned Jonathan’s kisses, then made them deeper and dirtier. Jonathan rocked his hips, trying to get some relief through pressure on his prostate, or even just friction on his cock. When Steve pulled out, Jonathan made a small noise of protest.

“I’ve gotcha,” Steve told him, shifting down on the bed. He took Jonathan’s cock into his mouth just before pressing two fingers into his ass, filling him up again. The sensations were a lot all at once, making Jonathan cry out. Between his talented mouth and his talented fingers, Steve drove Jonathan to the edge and over it.

The intensity was something he would have appreciated any other day, but that day, it fucked with his head a little. It occurred to him that he wasn’t sure when he would see Steve or Nancy again. He’d never been called to an actual _war_ before. What if he didn’t make it home for the wedding? What if he didn’t make it home at all?

Tears slipped from his eyes, and he wiped at them with his hands. The next breath he took was shaky, and that just reinforced the fact that he was crying now, and unable to stop.

“Oh!” Steve said, joining Jonathan at the pillows and pulling him into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

He wasn’t sure how to get his voice working again, so Jonathan pointed to his packed bag on the armchair in the corner of the room.

It took Steve a moment before he asked, “You’re leaving?”

Jonathan nodded.

“When?”

It took a few swallows and a long, shaky breath before Jonathan could answer. “In the morning. Early.”

“Shit.” Steve sat up, but he kept a resting hand on Jonathan’s chest, steady and present. “Where?”

“Kuwait.” Jonathan sniffled and sat up too, wiping a few more tears away. “They didn’t tell me how long.”

“Bastards! They know it’s almost time for the wedding!”

Jonathan nodded miserably and leaned against Steve, “I’m sorry I ruined your happy day.”

Wrapping his arms around Jonathan and shaking gently, Steve said, “Hey, it’s not your fault. Don’t apologize.”

He nodded, but a few more tears slipped out.

The apartment door opened, and Jonathan realized he’d been too distracted to notice Nancy returning home. “Hello?”

“We’re in here,” Steve called out.

It took a moment, but eventually Nancy appeared at the bedroom door. Jonathan thought they must look pretty odd, sitting there naked, holding onto each other. There were still tears on Jonathan’s face. He didn’t bother to wipe them away.

“What’s going on?” Nancy asked, rushing over to the bed. She preached the opposite side of Jonathan from Steve, wrapping her arms around him.

Jonathan leaned toward her, pressing his face against her neck and breathing in. He didn’t know how he could live without smelling her scent every day, but somehow he did it every time he had to leave. “I have to go. Early tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, Jonathan,” she sighed, holding him tighter. “I heard the news. We’re printing it in the morning. I thought _maybe_ they wouldn’t need you.”

“I don’t think they do, really,” Jonathan admitted, smiling slightly when Nancy started petting his hair. “It’s not like they can’t get almost all the information a different way. Charlie and I are just short cuts.”

Nancy hummed, gently scratching her nails over his scalp. “Did you get the call while you guys were having sex?”

Jonathan shook his head. “We were celebrating Steve’s new job. Or trying to, anyway.”

“Steve’s new...” Nancy’s eyes went wide and she reached for Steve with one hand. “You got the job?”

“I got the job!” Steve smiled and kissed Nancy’s hand. “You’re looking at Hyde Middle School’s newest PE teacher.”

“Congratulations!” Nancy beamed at him, and Jonathan found himself smiling, too.

The suggestion came to him unbidden, and Jonathan said, “Let’s go out for dinner. Celebrate Steve’s new job, spend some time together before I have to...”

“I need a shower first,” Steve said, letting go of Jonathan and standing up. “You want to join me?”

Jonathan nodded. He really, really did. Squeezing Nancy’s hand, he asked, “You want to try to fit in with us?”

Looking at her watch, she said, “We’ll be having dinner pretty late, but sure.”

“Last time we tried fitting all of us in there, I almost got a concussion,” Steve told the others, walking backward toward the bedroom door and the bathroom across the hall. “So let’s just be _careful_.”

Nancy laughed, and Jonathan felt a little less like crying his eyes out.

~*~

It was almost light out when the alarm rang, waking Steve up out of a deep sleep. He groaned and held Jonathan closer when he tried to get away.

“I have to get up,” Jonathan whispered, but he let Steve give him a kiss before ultimately slipping away.

Nancy mumbled and got out of bed too, so Steve followed them. He pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and a sweatshirt. It was summer, but the early mornings were still cool, especially when getting out of bed still half-asleep.

Jonathan brushed past him in the hallway, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth as he went back into the bedroom. Steve found Nancy in the kitchen, starting the coffee maker. Since he couldn’t hold onto Jonathan any longer, Steve stepped up behind her and held onto Nancy. She patted his arm before getting back on task.

There was just the one thought repeating over and over again in Steve’s mind — _what if he doesn’t get back in time_?

Sure, the wedding was still over two weeks away, but there was the stuff leading up to it to think about too. And the ceremony that was supposed to be about the three of them. Mumbling against Nancy’s shoulder, Steve said, “We could reschedule it.”

“We can’t reschedule the whole wedding. People have already made their travel plans,” Nancy replied, turning in Steve’s arms.

Meeting her eyes, Steve said, “I meant the other ceremony. The one Mom is gonna run.”

“Oh.” Nancy sighed and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Steve’s middle. This was how it was going to be until Jonathan got back, just Steve and Nancy holding onto each other, ignoring the Jonathan-shaped _hole_ in their lives. Nancy rubbed her face against his chest before saying in a small voice, “I want him there when we get married.”

“I do too.” Steve rubbed her back, “But what if—”

“I’m all packed,” Jonathan said from the kitchen entryway. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his bag over one shoulder. “Car’s gonna be here soon.”

Reaching for him, Nancy said, “Come here.”

Jonathan set down his bag and joined them, wrapping one arm around each of them, and being hugged in turn. After a moment of standing there, holding each other, Jonathan said, “I’ll do everything I can to get back soon.”

“I know you will,” Nancy replied, letting go of Steve. She put both her arms over Jonathan’s shoulders, pulling him into a kiss. Steve set himself against Jonathan’s back, trying to memorize what it felt like to hold him and have Jonathan’s scent in his nose.

After a moment, Jonathan turned to face Steve, meeting him halfway in a kiss. A tear dropped onto Steve’s cheek, rolling down his skin and tickling. It wasn’t Steve’s tear, but he didn’t brush it away, either. He wanted to kiss Jonathan for as long as they had left. It was Jonathan who pulled away first.

As he wiped away his tears, Jonathan gave a sad little chuckle. “I hate this.”

“Me too,” Steve said. “It feels like we should be used to it now, but…”

“But we’re not,” Nancy finished for him, her arms wrapped around Jonathan’s chest from behind. Steve kissed Jonathan once more before holding him tightly until he made himself let go.

Nancy let go too, and Jonathan picked up his bag. “I’ll call when I get there,” he promised. And then, like it would be too difficult to leave if he waited another second, he left.

The door closed behind him and Nancy pressed up close to Steve, sobbing against his chest. Steve rubbed her back, saying, “It’ll be okay,” even though he had no idea if that was ever going to be true.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting again today because yesterday's chapter was technically a day later than I intended.

Looking down at her list as she sat in the air conditioned lobby of the hotel, Nancy read off the items to Steve.

“Flowers?”

Pulling an unimpressed face, he said, “All set. Bought and paid for. Sitting in the florist’s refrigerator. All they need to do now is make sure they get from there to the hall on time.”

“Catering?”

“Everything’s ready.”

“The cake?”

“Yup.”

“Your tux?”

“Hanging in the closet, all the pieces are there, it’s good.”

Sighing, Nancy asked, “Jonathan’s tux?”

“I picked it up with mine,” Steve told her. “All the pieces are there, and it _looks_ like it’ll fit, but…” He shrugged.

Nancy put her pen down in her lap and met Steve’s eyes. “I really thought he would be back by now.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, putting his arm around Nancy’s shoulders. “I did too. I mean, they’ve kept him this long before, but…”

“And Charlie, too.” Nancy pouted. “At least the wedding party’s not going to be lopsided if they’re both gone?”

“Silver lining.”

There were more items on her list, but Nancy ignored them in favor of leaning on Steve, as if extra closeness with him could make up for missing Jonathan so badly.

Except Steve had to go and say, “It’s in three days.”

“I know.”

“It’ll take at least a full day to get back from there. He would’ve had to leave already.”

When no one had said it out loud, Nancy had been able to keep pretending that it was fine, that Jonathan wasn’t going to miss the wedding. But now that Steve had said it? Nancy’s heart sunk and the corners of her eyes burned with tears. “He’s going to miss it.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe he can meet us in Paris?”

“Maybe.”

Nancy couldn’t help but sniffle and viciously wipe the tears out of her eyes so they wouldn’t fall. “It’s not like we can postpone. What would we tell everyone? Sorry, we can’t have the wedding, our _husband_ isn’t here?”

Steve rubbed Nancy’s back. “What do you want me to do?”

“Bend the laws of space and time?” Nancy asked, false hope in her voice.

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. That’s your other husband.”

“Damn.”

Steve opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but his eyes went to the doorway and he stopped, mouth open. Nancy looked that way and saw their family coming through the hotel door. Well, more accurately it was Jonathan’s family, Joyce in the lead. Jim and the kids were behind her, including Nancy’s brother, which wasn’t surprising.

Ever since he’d gone to college in California with Will and El, the three of them had been inseparable. Nancy hadn’t asked lately what that was about, but it looked familiar enough, she figured she didn’t really have to. Besides, it was Mike’s business and he was an adult now. He’d tell her about it when he was ready.

Steve was first on his feet to go greet everyone, and Nancy followed shortly after. She felt a little like she was moving in slow motion, not having slept well the night before. Truth be told she still didn’t sleep all that well whenever Jonathan was out of town. That fact added to the wedding stress was a recipe for disaster.

Joyce put her arms around her, and Nancy sank into the hug. “Thanks for coming. Thanks for being here.”

“Oh, of course, sweetie,” Joyce replied, taking half a step back, but holding onto Nancy by her shoulders. “How are you holding up?”

“There’s room for improvement.” Looking at the list she still had in her hand. “On the bright side, Steve and I have been distracting ourselves by focusing on the wedding. There’s barely anything left to do.”

Lowering her voice, Joyce said, “I’ve got my speech for the other ceremony all prepared, but we’re probably going to have to hold off on that for now, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” Nancy said with a sad nod, letting her brother hug her. “Hey, Mike. How’s your summer going?”

Shrugging, Mike looked at El before she gave Nancy a hug as well. “Better than yours, that’s for sure.”

Nancy dryly replied, “Thanks.”

Steve put his arm around Nancy’s shoulders. “Why don’t you guys check in? Then we can go eat. I’m starving.”

“Yeah, me too,” Nancy agreed. As the group made their way to the front desk, Nancy noticed El giving her a weird sort of look.

Nancy stepped close to El and asked in a quiet voice, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

El shook her head. “No, but it’s a surprise. Maybe. If it works out.”

A surprise? Well, Nancy felt like she could use one right about now. Giving El an indulgent smile, Nancy said, “Okay. I hope it does work out.”

“Me too.”

~*~

Jonathan waited outside Charlie’s quarters, trying not to let his nerves betray him. He slipped once and started chewing on one of his fingernails, but he stopped as soon as he realized what he was doing. Luckily, the door opened and Charlie stuck her head out before pulling him into the room.

_It’s done,_ she told him.

Sighing with relief, Jonathan dropped down into the chair next to the little table in Charlie’s quarters. He was sharing a room with one of the officers, which meant this was the only place where there was any real privacy.

Watching as Charlie flopped down onto her bed, he asked her, _Are you okay?_

_Bone-tired_.

_Thank you_ , he insisted, giving her a gentle push so she looked over at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She rolled over onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. _They said it should be there by tomorrow_.

_That’s cutting it so close,_ Jonathan replied, looking at his digital watch. “There’s what? Less than seventy-two hours before the wedding? The first one, I mean.”

“Don’t ask me to do math when I’m this exhausted.”

Jonathan gave a tired smile and a shake of his head. “At least twenty-four hours just to get to the east coast. Then however long it takes to get a flight from there to Chicago. Jesus.” He dropped his face into his hands. “What am I gonna do? Go AWOL from the entire U.S. Military?”

“Gimme a few hours sleep,” Charlie said sleepily. “I’ll ‘port us both to the airport.”

“That’s the first place they’ll look.”

“We’ll hide in the Upside Down.”

_No_ , Jonathan said, switching back to silent communication. When they were tired like this, it was easier than speaking, and more private. _This plan is gonna work_.

_Gonna take some balls to pull it off. You sure we can do this?_

Nodding, Jonathan stood up. _They ask miracles of us every day. We might as well use one of them for ourselves_.

_True enough_.

“Get some sleep,” Jonathan told her, opening the door and giving her a goodbye wave. Charlie didn’t look, but she gave him a similar wave in return, eyes still closed.

Closing the door behind him, Jonathan made his way through the base to his quarters. He got ready for bed and turned in, glad his roommate was still on duty. Over the past few years, his body had gotten more used to sleeping apart from Nancy and Steve, but he still had more trouble sleeping when he wasn’t at home. He forced himself to relax, letting his mind drift. It was still early afternoon in Chicago, and Nancy was busy with her work. Steve was playing basketball with a bunch of kids at the community center.

Drifting away from them, Jonathan checked in with El. She was always a little bit easier to reach than Will. Jonathan knew the two of them were rarely far apart for long, so he didn’t feel bad talking just to her, when he knew she would pass on the message to his brother.

_I’m sending something to a P.O. Box in Chicago. Murray knows which one. It should be there tomorrow. I hope._ He and Charlie had certainly paid enough and gone to enough trouble hiding their activities to get it out on the airmail plane leaving that night.

Happiness radiated from El. _Is it a present for Nancy and Steve_?

Projecting a negative answer, Jonathan told her, _Not really. It’s something I need you to protect_.

_I’m on it_. Her seriousness at being tasked with this mission made Jonathan smile. She was always so earnest and straightforward. Jonathan missed her more than he realized. Maybe he’d talk to Steve and Nancy again about ending up in the same city as El and Will, eventually. It would be nice to see them as often as he got to see Charlie and Robin.

After El wished him a good night, Jonathan realized he’d been dozing. He let himself fall back into a deeper sleep. It didn’t last as long as he would have liked, the alarm on his watch waking him up before dawn.

His debrief meeting with the Lt. Colonel was early. 0800. He had no idea why everyone in the military had such a fetish for the early morning, but he didn’t appreciate it at all. Charlie had it even worse, having spent so much of her adult life working as a bartender, perpetually on second shift.

Checking to make sure Charlie was awake, Jonathan rose. He showered the sand and sweat out of his hair and off his body, dressing in the fatigues they’d given him and told him he had to wear, his own clothes sad and forgotten at the bottom of his duffel bag. If everything went well, he might be leaving here tonight. If things went poorly, he was probably still leaving here tonight, just with a different destination.

He met Charlie in the mess, sitting across from her with his coffee and cereal. As customary, Charlie had just a cup of coffee in front of her, preferring not to eat until later in the day. He wondered after teleporting as far as she had last night, then back again, if she shouldn’t be eating something, but he’d agreed to stop mother-henning her, so he kept his mouth shut.

_It’s now or never_ , Charlie said in greeting.

Jonathan nodded before taking a bite of his cereal and chewing it. _I still wish we had enough time to wait and make_ sure _El had the tape first. What if they reroute the mail_?

_How are they gonna know the name I put on the package? And none of them know Murray’s P.O. box number. There’s nothing they can do to stop it now._

Jonathan gave her an impressed look. _I didn’t think to mislabel the return address. You paid in cash, right?_

Charlie nodded slightly and gave him a positive impression. On more than one occasion, Steve had informed them that it looked weird when they had a silent conversation, but continued to use nods and gestures as they would if they were speaking out loud. Most of the soldiers on this base had no idea who they were or what they could do, and neither of them was eager to change that.

The fewer people who knew what Jonathan and Charlie could do, the better.

This was why, when they appeared at their 0800 debrief, only Lt. Colonel Johnson and his secretary were in the room.

“Okay, Mr. Byers. Ms. Everly. Let’s go through everything that happened during the mission you completed yesterday.”

“Before we start,” Jonathan said, “I would again like to remind you that we’re both supposed to be standing in a wedding less than three days from now. We need to leave _today_.”

Johnson gave Jonathan a condescending look. “We’ve been through this. During times of war, the granting of leave is haphazard at best. It’s not going to happen.”

Giving a short nod, Jonathan started reading through his notes. “On August 17th, at approximately 0600, we left the base with Company Bravo. Our mission was to conduct advanced scouting ahead of aerial bombing at the front. I was to warn company leaders of what I saw.” Looking up from his notes, Jonathan made eye contact with Johnson. “It’s in the record that I told you this sort of mission is not what I’m good at, especially with so few people to target. I just can’t see that far away from them.”

“Noted.”

Jonathan nodded and continued his narrative. “Our mission was largely successful, resulting in the bombardment of an Iraqi stronghold, moving the front back.”

Johnson wrote something in his notes and turned toward Charlie. Before he could speak, Jonathan cut him off.

“However, there was an incident that I need to report, concerning the behavior of Company Bravo, including its leaders.”

“Oh?” Johnson raised an eyebrow before smirking over at his secretary. “Did they hurt your little feelings, Mr. Byers?”

“Charlie? Would you play the tape?”

A feral sort of grin on her face, Charlie put the little TV-VCR unit she’d snatched from somewhere or other onto the table. Turning it on, she hit play.

The tape inside started with an embedded CNN reporter speaking to the camera. “…following this company of soldiers back to their base. They tell me their mission was a successful one, and that they’ve been able to push back Iraqi forces again and again over the past two weeks. As you c—”

A sharp popping noise made the reporter cut off and duck.

The camera person ducked as well, before putting the camera up far enough to see what was going on.

“Lookee here, boys! Look what I found!” cried one of the soldiers. “We’ve got ourselves an enemy combatant. Our first POW!”

Cheers went up through the company as a man was led toward the group. He was wearing the Iraqi uniform they’d been told to look out for and his hands were tied together in front of him. One of the soldiers tied a rope between the prisoner’s wrists and the tailgate of one of their Jeeps. “What do you think? Think we should find out how fast he can run?”

The prisoner said something and although Jonathan didn’t understand the words, the emotion was clear enough. He was terrified.

One of the other soldiers made the Jeep lurch forward, and the man was pulled off his feet. He landed face-first in the dust and most of the soldiers around him laughed. Jonathan shuddered.

He nodded, and Charlie stopped the tape.

“It goes on like that,” Jonathan told them. “By the time Ms. Everly and I returned from our sortie, this man had been killed, his uniform stripped and burned, his body pushed into a ditch. Much of the mistreatment was caught on this recording.”

“The reporter gave you this tape?” Johnson asked.

Jonathan shook his head. “He told his cameraman to erase the tape. Charlie swapped it out before he could.”

Frowning, Johnson asked, “If you weren’t there, how did you come to learn of this incident, and the tape of it?”

Here was the sticking point. Johnson knew some of what they could do, but he’d only been informed of what he needed to know, and this didn’t exactly cover it.

“I read the cameraman’s distress and got close enough to read his memory. What your soldiers did to that man was barbaric. It was a war crime.”

A frisson of fear lanced through the Lt. Colonel. He pointed to the VCR and asked, “The only evidence is this tape?”

Jonathan nodded. He noted Johnson’s relief before he added. “And the copies we made and sent to several trusted people across the globe.”

Okay, so _that_ part was a lie. They’d only sent it to Murray and El, but Johnson couldn’t tell that. Anger flared in his chest and he frowned at Jonathan. Speaking through clenched teeth, he asked, “What do you want?”

“We want those soldiers punished,” Charlie said, popping the tape out of the VCR and holding it as she stood, moving closer to Jonathan.

Jonathan stood beside her. “And we want you to send us back stateside. Now. Today.”

Johnson seethed, but he didn’t agree to their proposal. Not yet.

“Look, I understand,” Jonathan told him. “This is an unpopular, but necessary war. If it gets out that your soldiers are violent thugs, and not heroes for democracy, careers are going to be damaged. Pensions lost. Maybe even Court Martials given. But if you let us go, all of that trouble goes away.”

“Don’t you have any sense of patriotism? Any loyalty to your country? Either of you?” Johnson demanded. “Didn’t you grow up in the land of the free?”

Jonathan couldn’t help it. He laughed.

“I grew up poor, in rural Indiana. America is the place that wouldn’t help my mom feed her kids because she made 300 dollars more per year than the cutoff. It’s the place that never lifted a finger when my dad stopped paying child support. It’s the place where I had to start working, at fourteen, just so we wouldn’t lose the tiny house that was mortgaged to hell and back again.” Jonathan scoffed. “None of that gave me _any_ freedom.” Taking the tape when Charlie handed it to him, Jonathan shook it a bit for emphasis. “Now _this_? It just might.”

“Get out of here,” Johnson said. “Take the reporter and the cameraman with you. I’ll have an MP transport take you to Dammam and tell them to make sure you get on a flight to Ramstein. You can reach the States from there. Go.”

Jonathan picked up his notes and headed for the door, only stopping when Johnson told him, “Leave the tape.”

Charlie was closer to the table, so he handed it to her. She set it on the table, then they both left the room.

_I’m already packed_ , Charlie told him. _What about you?_

Jonathan shook his head. _I didn’t want to jinx anything. It won’t take me long_.

_Do you still think we can be back in time?_

_I don’t know_ , Jonathan told her. _It’s gonna be close._

~*~

Two days before the wedding, Steve picked up his mother from the airport. She’d taken an early-morning flight from Columbus, landing at O’Hare just after eight-thirty. He’d wanted to bring Nancy along, but something had come up at work that they needed her to sort out before they left for the honeymoon.

So Steve stood by himself, waiting for Harriet just next to her gate. He didn’t see her at first, but she called out, “Steven,” and put her hand up, waving.

Steve’s mother had always been stylish, but today she was even more so, wearing a thin jacket over a bright dress, her hair up and dark sunglasses over her eyes. She pushed them up onto her head before she reached Steve, pulling him into a warm hug. “Hello, darling”

“Hi, Mom,” Steve said with a bit of a chuckle. She’d grown more affectionate over the years since divorcing Steve’s father, and the change always through him off guard. “Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for picking me up. I could have taken a cab, you know.”

Nodding, Steve told her, “I know, but I wanted to be here.” He reached for her bag and threw it over his shoulder when she handed it to him. “Come on, the car’s this way.”

“This is your city,” Harriet said, putting her arm around his free one. “Lead the way.”

Steve chuckled, glad that he and his mother actually had a nice relationship now. During the year just after high school, Steve thought he might never see her again. That she wouldn’t _want_ to see him again. Now she was in town for his wedding, and Steve felt nothing but grateful.

“It’s gonna be a while before the hotel will let you check in,” Steve said, looking at his watch as they left the terminal. “Should we go to the apartment for a while?”

“Whatever you like, darling,” Harriet told him. “Is there anything left that needs doing before the wedding?”

Shrugging, Steve led the way to his car, popping the trunk and putting his mother’s suitcase and garment bag inside. “I think the only thing is filling the little bags of rice.”

Harriet chuckled and pulled Steve into a hug. “Do you have coffee? We could have a cup at your apartment. Spend some time catching up?”

A smile spreading slowly across his face, Steve nodded. “Yeah. That sounds really great.”

They made it a mile or two from the airport before Harriet asked, “Is everything alright? You seem... troubled.”

Steve scratched his eyebrow and pushed his hair back before answering. “Jonathan’s not gonna make it back in time. Neither is Charlie.”

“Charlie... Jonathan’s cousin?”

“Yeah,” Steve said with a nod. “They were both supposed to be in the wedding, but they got called away to work and they’re not gonna be here in time. _He’s_ not gonna be here in time. Not for the thing we were gonna do tomorrow, not for the wedding. None of it.”

“Oh, Steven,” Harriet said, reaching over and putting a hand on his shoulder. “These things happen, I suppose. I mean, when I married your father, one of my bridesmaids had to have her appendix out the day before. We had a lopsided wedding party, but it turned out alright.” She pressed her lips together as they drove in silence for a moment. “Tomorrow was supposed to be the– the ... what did you call it?”

“I don’t know. We don’t really have a good name for it. Commitment ceremony, I guess.” Steve changed lanes, getting ready for the exit to their neighborhood. “There’s no point in having it if Jonathan’s not going to be there.”

“I suppose so. Is there a venue rented and everything?”

Steve shook his head. “I mean, we reserved one of the picnic areas at a park outside the city. It cost like ten bucks or something, I think. The woods out there are pretty this time of year.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

When they got back to the apartment, it wasn’t as empty as Steve had been expecting. Hopper – Steve still couldn’t think of him as “Jim” – and Jake were watching the TV and folding what looked like the programs for the wedding. El was on the floor with Jenny, tying little ribbons around little blue mesh bags with something inside them. Joyce was in the kitchen, looking up as they came in. She rounded the breakfast bar, saying, “Hey! There you are! Harriet, how was your flight?”

“Oh, fine,” Harriet said, allowing Joyce to give her a quick hug. “Early.”

“Is there still coffee?” Steve asked, putting his hand on Joyce’s shoulder as he passed her and went into their small kitchen. “Why is everyone here? I thought you guys were going to the aquarium or something today.”

Joyce joined him in the kitchen. “There’s been a little change of plans. Mike and Will had to go run an errand, so we’re getting everything ready a little earlier, since we won’t have their help tonight.”

“What sort of errand?” Steve had the sudden panicked thought that he’d forgotten something major. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” Joyce said, putting both hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. “The errand is a surprise, and it might not work out, so I don’t want you to worry about it.”

“Okaaay.” Steve drew out the word, not quite sure what to make of whatever was going on. “Any word from Nancy?”

“She’ll be home in time for lunch,” Joyce told him, going to the coffee maker and taking the coffee out of the cupboard. “Sit down. Relax. We’ve got everything under control.”

“Thanks.” He gave her a sideways hug, knowing he would’ve called her Mom if his own mother hadn’t been in the room. Gesturing Harriet to the little dining table across the walkway from the kitchen, Steve said, “Take a seat, Mom. Tell me all about Columbus.”

“Well,” Harriet said, a grin on her lips, “after I sold the house in Hawkins, I was nomadic for a little bit, but then I found this adorable condo near my friend’s gallery. It’s not quite as set up for hosting as the house was, but I’d love to have you for Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, smiling at how much more alive she seemed talking about her new life in Columbus than she ever had while married to Steve’s father. “That sounds great.”

God, he hoped Jonathan made it back before _Thanksgiving_ , at least.


	5. Chapter 5

When Jonathan’s plane landed in D.C., it was almost midnight. Though the journey had been exhausting, he was on Kuwait time, and felt like he should’ve been up for an hour or two already. As he followed Charlie off the plane, his duffel on his back, he prayed that there wasn’t going to be any military personnel waiting for them at the gate.

Presumably, if there was going to be a debrief, it would’ve happened when they arrived at Ramstein Air Base. Instead, the MPs had simply put them in a taxi to Frankfurt-Hahn and from there, they’d gotten on a commercial flight to D.C. It was the closest they were going to be able to get to Chicago that day. Jonathan had tried to get a connecting flight from DC to Chicago, but it being a Thursday night in the summer, everything was full.

The plan, now that they were in the states was to get on a standby list and pray. Except, Charlie walked right past the ticket counter and toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Jonathan asked, following her until he realized someone close by felt really familiar. Looking past Charlie, he realized that his brother was outside, leaning against their mom’s car. “Holy shit!”

Jonathan caught up to Charlie just before she reached Will. “How?”

“As soon as I knew what airport we were headed for, I told El,” Charlie explained. The driver’s door opened and Mike was standing there.

“El sent us,” Will explained, letting Jonathan hug him. “We’ve been driving for ten hours straight, but we’ve got to go. We have just enough time to get you back to Chicago before the big event.”

Technically the wedding was a day and a half away, but Jonathan recognized that he must have meant the commitment ceremony he’d planned on having with Nancy and Steve.

With a sharp nod, Jonathan said, “Let me drive. I’m still on Kuwait time. Wide awake.”

“Gladly,” Mike said, holding out the keys to Jonathan.

He took them, stowed his duffel in the trunk, along with Charlie’s, and got behind the wheel. “Someone tell me what road to get on.”

Though he was sitting in the back passenger seat, letting Charlie have the front seat, Will leaned forward and directed him toward the correct freeway.

Meeting his brother’s eyes in the rear view before they lost the street lamps of the city, Jonathan said, “Thank you for doing this.”

Will smiled, Mike’s feet in his lap, their owner stretched across the backseat, already asleep. “You’d do the same for me.”

Jonathan had no doubt he’d do the same and more. “Still. Thank you.”

“Of course.” Will stifled a yawn.

“Get some sleep,” Jonathan insisted. “I’ll get us as far as I can before we need to switch out.”

Beside him, Charlie said, _I hope you realize I’m gonna annoy you into staying awake._

_You’d better_ , Jonathan replied.

~*~

“Are you sure I have to wear this?” Nancy asked El, looking at the dress spread out on her bed. It was a simple white sun dress, suited to the hot weather. It was also the dress Nancy had picked out to wear to the commitment ceremony, before it became clear that Jonathan wasn’t going to be allowed to come home in time.

“Yes,” El said with a confident nod of her head. “Mom says get ready quick. We’re going out to the park before lunch anyway.”

“Why?” Nancy asked, but El was already closing the door.

Well, Nancy supposed that maybe a walk outside in the sunshine would help lift her crappy mood. This was the day before her wedding. This was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life. She and Steve were getting _married_ tomorrow. Thirty hours from now, she would be Mrs. Nancy Byers.

Taking the name didn’t seem right without Jonathan there, even if it was legally Steve’s name now too. Suppressing the tears that formed unbidden in her eyes, Nancy sucked it up and changed into her dress. She put her hair up and curled the ponytail so it looked neat and shiny. Next, Nancy put on a pair of earrings Steve had given her, and a necklace Jonathan had given her, setting it next to the chain holding her wedding ring. She finished off her outfit with a nice pair of sandals fit for walking in the park.

When she rejoined everyone in the living room, Steve was already dressed in a shirt, tie, and vest. As a concession to the heat, his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He stood up when he saw her, his mouth open slightly, as if in surprise.

“Let’s get this over with,” Nancy said to the room at large, although she kept her eyes on Steve’s.

Nodding, Steve folded her hand in his. “Let’s go.”

Nancy noticed Hopper had already left, taking Jake and Jenny with him. This left Harriet, Joyce, and El to come in their car with Nancy and Steve. On the way down the apartment stairs, Nancy asked, “You’re sure Mike and Will are going to be at the rehearsal?”

“I’m sure,” Joyce told her with a determined nod. “In fact, I think they’re going to meet us at the park, if they don’t get stuck in traffic.”

Good. That was good. The wedding party couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Steve had Dustin and Will standing up for him. Nancy had Robin and El. If they needed to, they could get Jake to stand on Steve’s side. Maybe even Lucas. But where did that leave Nancy’s side? It wasn’t like she could ask Mike to stand for her, and Jenny and Holly were already flower girls. Perhaps Max would stand up for her? Nancy felt like that would be a little disingenuous, since they didn’t really have the sort of relationship Nancy had with the others.

As they walked to the car, Steve caught her hand again. He tugged her closer and said, “You look gorgeous today.”

Nancy chuckled softly and blushed. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Steve squeezed her hand. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”

“We are.”

“It’s–” He gave a soft sigh. “I’m trying to tell myself it’s just one day he’s missing, that he’s gonna be with us for the rest of our lives. But...”

Nancy nodded, trying not to tear up again. “Not having him here _hurts_.”

“It does.” Steve pulled her close and kissed her temple before letting her go. He unlocked the car and let everyone in. Even though it had been parked in the shade of the big tree down the side street north of their building, the car felt like an oven.

Steve started the car and lowered the windows to let the hot air out. Nancy all but scalded herself on the metal part of her seat belt buckle. She didn’t even know why they were doing this. Going out to the park without Jonathan didn’t make any sense. Like, yeah, maybe she had some nervous energy to get out, but the beach near their building, with the cool wind coming off Lake Michigan, would’ve been so much more comfortable.

Anyway, after this was lunch (reservations already made at Dino’s), then the wedding rehearsal at the hall with the justice of the peace. Following that was the rehearsal dinner and then she would _finally_ be free to wallow in self-pity over the fact that her husband was missing her wedding.

As they drove, Nancy started to bite one of her fingernails, before she realized they were manicured and she shouldn’t mess them up.

They got on the freeway and left the city, heading southwest. The park wasn’t too far, but every minute they spent in the car felt like a minute wasted. She knew it was just anxiety over the fact that the wedding was _tomorrow._ Steve said everything on his checklist was taken care of, but Nancy still felt like she should be doing _something_. She didn’t like feeling idle and helpless like this.

Still, everyone else seemed intent on seeing the park, so Nancy swallowed her objections and let Steve keep driving. He got off the freeway, went a few miles down a smaller highway, and then turned into the parking lot of the state park. They pulled up next to Hop’s minivan, parking beside it. When Nancy got out, she recognized her mother’s station wagon across the way. And that was Joyce’s car just a few spaces away, the one Mike and Will had taken on their errand the day before.

Nancy gave Steve a questioning look over the hood of their car, but he didn’t notice. When she locked eyes with El, Nancy asked her, “What’s going on?”

El beamed.

Her heart beating hard against her ribs, Nancy said, “No. You didn’t?”

Without waiting for an answer, Nancy hurried around Hop’s minivan and onto the path leading to the spot they’d chosen months before. Steve was right on her heels, asking, “What is it? Why are we running?”

“I think…” As they turned a corner in the path and came out into the clearing that doubled as a picnic area, Nancy couldn’t help but notice the familiar figure standing next to her brother. With a delighted shout, Nancy broke into a run.

Her sandals barely clinging to her feet, Nancy closed the distance just as Jonathan finished turning to face her. She slammed into him, making him take a few steps back to regain his balance as she hugged him tightly. Steve wrapped his arms around both of them.

“Holy shit, when did you get back?” Nancy asked, not letting him answer before she kissed him. Jonathan chuckled against her mouth, kissing her back.

“C’mere,” Steve said, pulling Jonathan into a kiss, too. “We missed you.”

“How?” Nancy demanded again, looking around at the family gathered around them. She found Will and Mike grinning at her, looking very pleased with themselves. “You did this?”

“We drove to D.C. and got him,” Mike replied with a nod. “We literally got here just in time to change in the park bathroom ten minutes ago.”

“Thank you!” Nancy cried, grabbing her brother by the face and pulling him down far enough to kiss his cheek. “Oh, my god! Thank you!” She gave Will a kiss on the cheek too, before realizing that it wasn’t just Jonathan who was back. Charlie was there, standing with her arm over Robin’s shoulders.

Starting to get overwhelmed, Nancy felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes as she went to Charlie and hugged her. “You’re here!”

“Well, I figured I was at the other two weddings. Might as well come to this one and make it a trifecta.”

Nancy laughed, though she was momentarily confused. Charlie had been there when Steve changed his name, which they were treating sort of like a marriage between him and Jonathan. Was she talking about when Nancy and Jonathan got married, back in Cedarville? Giving another sharp laugh, Nancy lowered her voice so her mother wouldn’t hear and agreed, “Yeah, I suppose _technically_ you were at that one. You were…” She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart, “…about this big.”

Charlie laughed, nodding. “Yeah. Didn’t say I _remembered_ that one, but I was there.”

Jonathan joined them, putting his arm over Nancy’s shoulders. God, it felt so good to have him back. Nancy wasn’t sure she was ever going to let him go again.

Before she could tell him that, Joyce cleared her throat. “Can I…? Can I have everyone’s attention?”

Looking over, Nancy saw Joyce standing just in front of a tree covered in beautiful white flowers. Steve caught Nancy’s hand, then Jonathan’s. He drew them over toward Joyce, saying softly, “We didn’t really have a chance to talk this through, but I…” He looked at Joyce, who smiled and winked. “ _We’ve_ got it covered. Just follow along.”

Steve settled them with Nancy facing Joyce. Her left hand was in Steve’s right, and her right hand in Jonathan’s left. Reaching between Nancy and Joyce, Steve grasped Jonathan’s hand, completing the circle. Or the triangle, as it were.

The rest of their family members (Nancy’s _Dad_ included, holy shit!) stood in a loose group around them. Joyce waited for everyone to be settled, and then she spoke.

“We’ve been through a lot together,” Joyce said with a soft chuckle. “We’ve been through a lot together as a family, and these three have held fast to each other throughout it all. My sweet Jonathan.” Joyce looked at him, and Nancy wasn’t surprised to see that both of them looked close to tearing up. “You’ve always had so much love in your heart. For the longest time, you were so guarded with that love. I thought you were going to reserve that love just for me and your brother. That you wouldn’t find the courage to share it with others. Boy, am I glad I was wrong.”

Jonathan gave a soft laugh, letting go of Nancy’s hand so he could wipe a tear from his face. When he returned it to hers, his skin was damp, but warm. Nancy squeezed his hand encouragingly.

Turning to Steve, Joyce said, “And Steve. You came into Jonathan’s life, and through him, into mine. You made yourself part of our family, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. You held us together when we were falling apart.”

Nancy saw the way Joyce’s eyes cut over to where Hopper was standing, Jenny’s hand in his. Hop gave an encouraging nod.

“And Nancy.” She turned her head back to meet Joyce’s eyes. “I am just so proud that Jonathan — and Steve, for that matter — chose to love such an incredible young woman. You astound me every day with just how fiercely you love my sons. I’m proud to call you my daughter.”

Okay, Nancy had been doing well up until that moment, when she lost it. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she couldn’t help but laugh at herself for getting so emotional. Nancy nodded to make sure Joyce knew she understood the importance of Joyce’s words.

“I can’t say I’ve ever seen a relationship like the one the three of you have together, but it _works_. Over and over again these past five years, you’ve proved that it works. I think we all realize that life is short, and you have to hold onto what works while you can.” Joyce nodded and looked down at the paper in her hands for a moment before continuing. “Today, we’re here to witness you swear your love and devotion to each other, all three of you, in addition to the legal marriage we’ll witness tomorrow. Are you ready to do that?”

Nancy nodded, and noticed Jonathan doing the same. Steve said, “Hell, yes,” which made Nancy laugh, and she heard chuckles from the family around them as well.

Joyce said, “Steve? You wanted to say something?”

Nodding, Steve squeezed Nancy’s hand and met her eyes. “Nancy Wheeler, when I met you back in high school, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

Nancy laughed and rolled her eyes, but she let Steve continue.

“You challenge me in all the best ways. You’ve made me, time and time again, want to be a better man, a better _person,_ just so I can feel like I’m keeping up with you. I have no idea what made you decide that I was good enough for you, but I’m so, so grateful that you did.”

Nancy wanted to argue that he was selling himself short, but she bit her tongue, appreciating his sweet words and not wanting to spoil them.

Steve turned to Jonathan and said, “Jonathan Byers, it was Nancy who brought us together, making me the luckiest man in the world because I got to know you, and I fell in love with you just as hard and just as completely. Just like Nancy, you are my best friend, and so much more. You are incredible, and creative, and brave. You two are my home. Now and for always.” He squeezed Nancy’s hand again before turning his smile on her.

After Steve gave her a nod, Joyce said, “Nancy? Would you like to say anything?”

Before Jonathan had left, when they were planning this ceremony, Nancy had thought about what she was going to say. A few scripts had been written, but she hadn’t settled on one yet. Still, the words were in her heart. She just had to get them out.

Nodding to Joyce, Nancy took a deep breath. “Steve. Jonathan. I don’t…” She laughed. “I should have written this down.” Jonathan squeezed her hand and Steve gave her an encouraging nod. “I love you both. So, so much. Together you balance me out, make me a better version of myself. I know I’m not always the easiest to get along with, but you both make it look easy.”

“It’s not _that_ hard,” Jonathan insisted in a low voice, making Nancy smile.

Shaking her head, Nancy told them, “I love the home we’ve built together, the family.” She looked around at all the people who loved them best, still a little awestruck that all these people would support this crazy thought that Nancy could have two partners, and love them both the same. “I promise to be yours, forever and always.”

She squeezed both hands she was holding, and got smiles and hand-squeezes in return. Then she nodded to Jonathan to let him know she was done.

Nodding back, Jonathan pressed his lips together for a moment before looking back at Nancy. “You and I found out a long time ago that we make a good team, but we also found out that we couldn’t be a team on our own.” Looking over at Steve, he smiled. “You were the missing piece we needed. Without you, Steve, we would’ve died, stupid teenagers in over our heads. You keep saving me, over and over, and I’m not sure I can ever express how grateful I am to you for that.” Turning to Nancy, he said, “Everything I promised you back when we got married is still true today. I will love you for the rest of my life, Nancy. It doesn’t feel like a choice, but it is, and I will keep making it, every single day.”

Nancy nodded, overwhelmed with emotions, tears running down her cheeks.

“Steve,” Jonathan said, waiting until Steve looked away from Nancy and to him before he kept talking. “The same goes for you. Two years ago, I promised we would always be together. I promise it again today. Loving you doesn’t feel like a choice, but it is. I choose to keep loving you, every single day for the rest of my life.”

“Me too,” Nancy said softly, not really meaning to draw their attention back to her, but getting it just the same.

Smiling widely, though his eyes were wet, Steve nodded and said, “Me three.”

The grin that jumped onto Nancy’s face was just as wide, and when she looked over, Jonathan was smiling as well.

“Oh, Jesus, you guys,” Joyce muttered, wiping the tears from her eyes and making everyone chuckle. Then she pulled a long, red ribbon from the pocket of her dress. “All three of you, put your right hands together up here, please.”

Nancy let go of Jonathan’s hand and stepped forward to put her right hand on top of Jonathan’s. Steve put his hand under hers, palm-up. Except, it was his left hand. Nancy was still holding his right hand. With a soft laugh, mostly at herself, Nancy let go of Steve’s right hand and placed it under hers. He laced his fingers with hers and Jonathan’s.

Joyce looped the ribbon around their hands, saying, “This is an old custom that nobody really uses anymore, but I thought it would be appropriate, given the extraordinary nature of your relationship.” She tied the ribbon around their hands, binding them together. “As I tie this knot, think of it as a symbol for the bonds of love that hold you together, now and for the rest of your lives.”

Overwhelmed, and so damn happy, Nancy put her hand over her mouth to muffle the sob that escaped her. Jonathan put his hand on her waist, steady at her back, holding her up as he kissed her shoulder. Nancy nodded, pressing her temple against his forehead, taking the comfort he gave her. Steve squeezed her hand, looking over his shoulder at her. She put her free hand on his shoulder and smiled to let him know she was okay.

“Do you promise yourselves to each other forever and always?” Joyce asked.

What else could Nancy say but, “I do,” at the same time as her husbands?

“Then I declare you married!” Joyce said, throwing up her hands. The crowd around them cheered as Joyce untied the ribbon. “You may now kiss the bride!”

Nancy laughed as both Steve and Jonathan kissed the two corners of her mouth. Then they kissed each other before Jonathan, then Steve gave her proper kisses. The family around them clapped and whistled, which made Nancy blush, but she was too happy for it to bother her.

Holding tight to one of Jonathan’s arms, she told him, “Thank you for being here. No one would have blamed you for missing it.”

“ _I_ would’ve blamed me,” Jonathan told her, leaning his forehead against hers. “I would’ve regretted it forever.”

“Then I’m extra glad you’re here.”

Putting his hand on Jonathan’s face, brushing his thumb across Jonathan’s cheek, Steve said, “Me too.”

From his place in the crowd, Hopper clapped his hands together and said in a loud, attention-grabbing voice, “Alright! Let’s make our way to Dino’s for lunch. Everyone follow these two young ladies in their car so you don’t get lost.” He gestured to Charlie and Robin.

Charlie stuck her tongue out at him.

Nancy held onto Jonathan and Steve, holding back, letting the others go ahead of them. She needed a little time alone with her husbands. She told them, “I wish the honeymoon was starting right now.”

“I know what you mean,” Steve said, looking around before pressing close to Jonathan, kissing him deeply. “We _really_ missed you.”

“I _really_ missed you, too.”

“Do you have to go back?” Nancy asked him. “Are they going to let you come to Paris with us?”

“I don’t think they’re going to have a choice.” When Nancy opened her mouth to ask what _that_ meant, Jonathan said, “We can talk about it later. Just trust me. Everything’s gonna work out.”

“I trust you,” Nancy told him, feeling like her whole heart was in his hands, and she trusted him without question to keep it safe.

“C’mon,” Steve said, putting his arm around Jonathan’s shoulders. “Now that I’m not sick with worry, I’m starving.”

Nancy laughed, putting her arm around Jonathan’s back so he was walking between them. “Steve? What are your thoughts about letting me and Jonathan share the passenger seat while you drive?”

“My thoughts are that it’s broad daylight and I would for sure crash the car,” he said, making her and Jonathan laugh. “Come on. We can ‘turn in early’ tonight after the rehearsal dinner. Just a few more hours.”

“A few more hours of _torture_ ,” Nancy said, but she was grinning, too. Jonathan was back. The for-show-wedding was tomorrow. Everything was going to be great.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning of his wedding, Steve woke up with Nancy’s tongue in his mouth. “Mm, hello,” he said when she was done kissing him. She gave a low moan in reply and when Steve finally got his eyes open, he saw Nancy on all fours, Jonathan kneeling between her legs, his hands on her hips. Steve was suddenly very glad he was already laying down, or he would’ve gotten light headed. “Ooh, you guys have the best ideas.”

Jonathan gave a breathless chuckle, but Nancy buried her face in the pillow beside Steve and groaned again. He was about to ask her why she would do that, when he realized that her parents were sleeping in the guest room next door, and her and Jonathan’s little sisters were sleeping out in the living room.

Steve was already sleeping without a shirt because of the heat, so he shoved off his shorts and put himself under Nancy, kissing her and swallowing her moans. He slid one hand down toward her waist, putting his hand over Jonathan’s, just to have that point of contact with him. Steve always felt a little more touchy-feely with Jonathan when he’d been gone for a while, and today was no different, even after all the time they’d spent together the night before.

Ten minutes later, all three of them were sweaty and satisfied. “Probably can’t shower together with guests in the house, huh?”

“I’m not supposed to wash my hair today, so they can put it up better,” Nancy said, rolling out of bed and pulling on her bathrobe. “I’ll be quick.”

Steve looked over at the clock, running through the day’s schedule in his head. “Oh!” He turned to Jonathan. “You need to try on your tux.”

“It’s a rental,” Jonathan said, like Steve knew what that was supposed to mean. Looking over at him, Jonathan explained, “I’m not trying it on until I take a shower.”

Noting the mess he’d left on Jonathan’s belly, Steve laughed. As he reached for a few tissues from the nightstand, he said, “Yeah, that’s probably a good call.”

After wiping himself off and tossing the tissues into the garbage, Jonathan rolled closer, putting his arm across Steve’s chest, his head on Steve’s shoulder. Steve hugged him close, kissing him nice and slow. Fingering the chain around Jonathan’s neck, Steve found the ring hanging from it and said, “You should start wearing this on your finger again. I want everyone to know you’re married.”

“I will,” Jonathan said, hooking his thumb in the ring on the chain around Steve’s neck. “Tonight, when you and Nancy start wearing yours.”

Steve grinned, his chest tight with happiness as he kissed Jonathan again. They were still kissing when Nancy got back to the bedroom.

“Wow, that was fast,” Steve said, frowning when Jonathan pulled away and started putting clothes on. He knew they had to get up and start getting ready, but a big part of him just wanted to stay in bed for another couple hours, just making up for the time he didn’t get with Jonathan while he was gone.

Sighing, Steve pushed himself out of bed and started pulling on enough clothes to be considered decent while he went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Just after pulling on a t-shirt, Steve noticed Nancy putting on one of his short-sleeved button ups. “What’s with the shirt?”

“All of my summer shirts are pull on. They’ll mess up my hair when I have to change into my dress.” She smiled at him as she did up the buttons. “Is this okay with you?”

“I don’t know…” he teased, going over to her and pulling her into his arms. “I suppose the point of today is making it legal that what’s mine is yours. You’re just getting a jump on things.”

Nancy laughed and shook her head, her grin one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Cupping her face in his hands, Steve kissed her grin and said, “I am _so_ in love with you.”

“Jeez,” Nancy said with a tut, wrapping her hands around his wrists. “If you love me so much, why don’t you marry me?”

Steve’s surprised laughter was louder than he’d intended. “Oh, I’m gonna marry you, Nancy Wheeler,” he said as he laughed, kissing her again. “How’s this afternoon work for you?”

Nancy giggled and told him, “Ooh, I’ve got a really busy day today. Maybe I can squeeze you in around two?”

“Shit. All the invitations say one-thirty,” he said with a straight face.

Nancy’s smile dropped until Steve laughed, letting her know it was a joke. She smacked his arm and said, “You’re an idiot, Steve Byers!” She was laughing, though, so Steve just hugged her and grinned.

~*~

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Jonathan asked, standing in the living room with his mother and Steve watching him turn in a circle. “The pants seem a little too short.”

“Not much we can do about that now,” Joyce said, frowning at the hems of his pants. “The rest of it fits well enough.” She moved forward, pulling his jacket down to straighten it. Smiling, she said, “You look so nice. Steve, doesn’t he look nice?”

“Very,” Steve agreed, looking at Jonathan with a dopey, loving expression on his face. He was sitting on their couch, wearing all the pieces of his tux except the jacket.

Jonathan nodded, taking off his jacket as well, putting it back on the hanger. It was too hot, even with the window air conditioner, to keep it on until he had to. Somehow exhausted already, even though the day was just beginning, Jonathan dropped down onto the couch next to Steve, putting his head on Steve’s shoulder.

Steve kissed his forehead and grasped his hand.

Looking at her watch, Joyce gave them a smile and said, “I’m back to the hotel to get dressed. _Don’t_ ruin your suits. We’re meeting at the hall at one, right?”

“Right,” Steve told her, giving a lazy salute with his free hand.

“Bye, Mom.”

Once Joyce was gone, and they were left alone in the apartment, Steve turned to Jonathan and said, “Okay, I’ve got to know. How the hell did you manage to get back here in time? When we talked last week, the big guy in charge was refusing to let you go.”

Thinking about the videotape and El’s assurances that it was safe in Murray’s hands, Jonathan sighed. “I don’t want to give you any details.”

“So, the gist of it…?”

“The gist of it is that we had something the brass wouldn’t want the public to see. We used it as leverage to get them to let us go.”

Steve nodded, frowning as he looked down at his lap. “This gonna come back to bite you in the ass sometime?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Jonathan told him. “Probably. After the honeymoon, I’ll talk to them. See how much trouble I’m in.”

“If they try to put you in prison, I _will_ have your psychic siblings break you out,” Steve told him. His tone said he was joking, but Jonathan could feel how serious he was. “We’ll all go on the run together. Start a commune in Borneo or something.”

“Do you even know where Borneo is?”

“Most of it belongs to Indonesia. You know between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.” Steve frowned at the look Jonathan gave him. “What?”

“Just how often have you fantasized about running off to Borneo?”

Steve laughed. “I student-taught geography fall semester. Remember?”

Jonathan closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. “Sorry. Fall semester was busy.”

“It was.” Steve squeezed his hand. “Maybe after Paris we can save up again? Plan a trip to Borneo in a few years.”

Kissing Steve, Jonathan promised him, “If you want to go, we’ll make it happen.”

“You’re so sweet to me.” Grinning, Steve pulled Jonathan into another kiss.

It crossed Jonathan’s mind that if he wasn’t working for the CIA anymore, he wasn’t going to get paid by them either. He was going to have to get serious about finding an actual, full-time job. Sure, they had Nancy’s income from the Tribune, Steve’s upcoming teaching job, and Steve’s trust fund. They wouldn’t be hurting for money if Jonathan found a regular, entry-level photography job.

The thought of it made him smile against Steve’s lips.

“Happy?” Steve asked him.

“Yeah,” Jonathan answered, fighting the urge to climb into Steve’s lap and give him some really _good_ kisses. “You?”

“Very.”

Ultimately, they managed to avoid wrinkling their tuxes too badly and ended up at the venue a good ten minutes before they needed to. Jonathan had both Nancy’s and Steve’s rings — the first the same one he’d given to Nancy all those years ago in Cedarville, the second the one they’d picked out for Steve on their way home from there — in his inner jacket pocket. He patted at them almost compulsively every few minutes, making sure they were still there.

Jonathan’s brother and all his friends were already at the hall, hanging out in their fancy clothes, catching up. Jake was there, hovering on the edge of the group, Will bringing him into the conversation here and there. Noticing her absence, Jonathan could have _looked_ for El. He thought it more polite to ask instead, “Hey, where’s El?”

“Doing bridesmaid things,” Mike told him with a roll of his eyes. “How long does it take to get your hair done and put on a dress, anyway?”

Max threw something small from her pocket, hitting Mike’s head, making everyone else snicker. “Longer than you’d think.” Max was wearing dress pants, a white blouse, and black sneakers, and Jonathan wondered if he’d _ever_ seen her wearing a dress or even a skirt. He wasn’t sure.

Before Mike could argue back, the parents started showing up. Joyce and Harriet arrived together, Ted and Hop a minute later. Frowning with confusion, Jonathan asked Will, “Jenny and Holly?”

“With Karen, getting ready.” Will laughed and shook his head.

“What?”

“I thought the best man was supposed to have some clue what was going on.”

“To be fair, I’m jet lagged,” Jonathan insisted.

Steve leaned closer and murmured into his ear, “Nancy and I kept you up pretty late last night, too.”

“There’s that,” Jonathan agreed.

Will laughed again. “I’m also sure the best man isn’t supposed to be—” he cut himself off when an older woman appeared in the doorway, a middle-aged couple behind her.

Mike stood up straight. “Nana!”

“Always love a wedding,” the woman said, pulling Mike into a hug. “I keep forgetting how tall you’ve gotten, Michael!”

The embarrassed smile on Mike’s face made Jonathan suddenly aware of the fact that he didn’t know any of his grandparents. His mother had never known her father, and _her_ mother was… Well, she could be dead for all they knew. Lonnie’s parents? Jonathan had met Lonnie’s mother once before she passed away, but he didn’t remember her. He remembered Lonnie’s dad, but not fondly. Jonathan had no idea what had happened to him, either. They had just stopped seeing him at some point.

“Nana, you remember Steve, right?”

Holding her hand out to Steve, Nana said, “Well, of course! It’s nice to see you again, Steven.”

“You too, Dorothy,” Steve replied, giving her a handshake and letting her pull him down far enough to place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. You know, Nancy is the first of my grandchildren to get married.” Holding her hand out to Jonathan, Dorothy asked, “And who is this young man?”

“This is Jonathan, my hus— My _best man_.”

Jonathan shared a look with Steve at that little slip up before returning Dorothy’s handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Jonathan.” She held onto his hand. “I think I’ve heard my daughter talking about you. What’s your last name?”

“Byers, ma’am.”

“Oh! You must be Steven’s brother as well as his best man.”

“Must be,” Jonathan agreed, mostly to get her to let go of his hand. Gesturing, he said, “Mike is one of the ushers. He can help you find your seat.”

“Save me a dance for later!” she teased.

Giving her a mumbled non-answer, Jonathan turned back to see Steve laughing at him.

Jonathan gave him a sour face and said, “At least I don’t have lipstick on my cheek.”

“Shit,” Steve said, pushing at his cheek with his hand.

Jonathan took a tissue out of his pocket, where he’d stashed them, thinking about how much they’d all cried at the ceremony the day before. He held it up, offering his assistance. Steve sighed and turned his cheek to Jonathan, letting him wipe away the lipstick mark. “There,” Jonathan said when he was done. “Handsome as ever.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked with a crooked, flirtatious smile.

“Cut that out,” Jonathan said in a low voice. “You’re gonna end up calling me your husband again.”

He sobered up the tiniest bit. “Point taken.” Then he looked past Jonathan and raised his arms in greeting. “Hey, hey! You guys made it!”

Turning, Jonathan saw a group of several of Steve’s school friends, including Steph and her new boyfriend. Jonathan could never remember the boyfriend’s name, even though he’d met the man at least three times over the past year. He gave the group of them a polite wave as they gave Steve hugs and congratulations.

It felt a little weird, not getting those congratulations as well. This wedding was the last leg solidified in _his_ relationship, too. Jonathan knew it was a stupid thing to feel bad about, but it made him extra glad he’d made it home in time for the ceremony the day before. Sure, a large portion of these people didn’t know he was just as much in this relationship as Nancy and Steve, but at least the ones who _did_ were all the important ones.

Eventually, the hall filled up, with more family on Nancy’s side, but more friends on Steve’s, Mike and Jake showing people to their seats. Leaning close, Steve said, “Almost time, now. I can’t wait to see her.”

“I know what you mean,” Jonathan replied, knowing that he probably could have closed his eyes and _seen_ Nancy without any trouble. He didn’t, though. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

Before he could tell this to Steve, Joyce caught their attention. “Okay, boys. It’s time to take your places.”

Jonathan patted the rings in his pocket again, making sure they were still there.

Taking Joyce’s hand, Steve said, “Thank you _again_ for coordinating, Mom. I don’t know how we could do this without you.”

“Oh, of course, honey. Of course,” Joyce said, shooing Steve over toward his mother. As Jonathan passed her, he held out one of the tissues from his pocket. She gave him an eye roll and a wave of annoyance, but she took the tissue anyway.

Jonathan bit back his laugh, taking his place in line with Charlie. She was wearing a deep pink dress with a plunging neckline and a full skirt. Her hair was up (well, as up as it could be with how short she kept it), and had little white flowers pinned into it. He smiled at her uncharacteristic appearance. _You look—_

_Don’t_. She gave him the dirtiest look, so Jonathan just took her arm and projected his amusement, rather than voicing it. Charlie elbowed him in the ribs, but after that they came to a truce of sorts.

The music began. As Steve walked both his and Nancy’s mother up the aisle, Jonathan could tell Nancy was close. He looked for her, but she was just around the corner, staying out of sight.

Charlie tugged on his arm so he faced forward again, saying, “No peeking!”

Smiling, Jonathan faced forward and watched Dustin and Robin start their way down the aisle. Will and El were next, and then a few moments later, Joyce was waving Jonathan ahead.

_When I agreed to this,_ he told Charlie as they started up the aisle, _I didn’t realize there would be this many people_.

God, and they were all _staring_ at him.

_Stop being stupid. Everyone is here for Steve and Nancy. They’re not staring at_ you.

_True_.

_Besides, you could crush all their skulls if you wanted to._

Jonathan tripped on his foot at that suggestion, recovering well enough that probably Charlie was the only one who noticed. _Well, thanks for that macabre distraction_.

_You’re welcome_.

As they reached the end of the aisle, Charlie grinned at Jonathan and pinched his side before letting him go and joining El and Robin over on the left.

Jonathan turned right and took his place between Steve and Will. Steve smiled at him and grasped his hand for just a second before letting go. Jonathan smiled at Will and nodded at Dustin.

Looking back at the aisle, Jonathan saw Jenny and Holly in matching pink dresses, spreading flower petals as they all but skipped up the aisle. Once they reached the front, Karen gestured Holly over, while Hop whispered to Jenny.

And then the music changed.

While everyone was watching the door, waiting for Nancy to appear, Steve reached back, grabbing Jonathan’s hand again. The gesture seemed anxious, but when Jonathan read Steve, his predominant emotions were excitement and joy.

Jonathan noticed the exact second Steve saw Nancy, his joy skyrocketing to almost unbearable levels. Still holding Steve’s hand, Jonathan turned, wanting more than anything to see their wife in her wedding dress.

~*~

Though she generally took great care when it came to her appearance, Nancy had never spent this long getting ready before. She and Karen had left the apartment at eight in the morning, all of Nancy’s things laid out in the back of the station wagon. Their first stop was the salon where Nancy had been getting her hair cut for the past two years. When they pulled up, Charlie and Robin were already there, holding matching paper cups of coffee.

“Hey,” said Robin with a big grin on her face. “How’re you feeling?”

After taking a moment to assess, Nancy told her, “Pretty good.”

“Why just pretty good?” Karen asked, taking the case that held Nancy’s tiara and veil out of the back of the station wagon.

Knowing the area, Nancy gestured for her mother to hold off on closing the back of the station wagon. She took out the bag containing her shoes and undergarments, handing it to Robin before reaching in again. She carefully lifted the garment bag containing her dress, hanging it over her left arm and making sure it didn’t touch the ground.

Karen frowned at her. “We’re not getting dressed here.”

“I want to keep my eye on it,” Nancy told her. “We’re leaving as little to chance as we can.”

Karen looked over at the others, and Robin nodded. “It’s not a bad idea. In a city like this, leaving something visible like an expensive wedding dress is practically an invitation to have your car broken into.”

Muttering about what the world was coming to, Karen took her bag out of the car as well, handing it to Charlie before closing and locking the car.

Getting their hair done was fairly meditative and quiet as each of them sat in a different salon chair during the process. When Nancy’s hair was done and Wendy, her hairstylist, put the tiara on, Nancy saw a princess looking back at her in the mirror. Oh, this was actually happening!

Moving over to a different part of the salon, another woman, Penny, did her makeup, striking a careful balance between being made up enough for the cameras, and not looking like a clown. Her foundation was halfway on when Ted delivered the two youngest members of the bridal party, Holly and Jenny, before leaving again with an awkward nod.

Karen smiled and shook her head at her husband before corralling both preteens into neighboring salon chairs, hushing their giggles so the hairstylists could put their hair up as well. Holly’s hair was a darker blonde than it had been when she was little, but Jenny’s hair was dark black in contrast.

The makeup artist asked Nancy, “Cousins?”

Barely remembering not to shake her head, Nancy smiled and said, “No. One’s my sister, one’s my husband’s sister.”

“Your fiancé, you mean?” Penny asked with an amused smile.

She couldn’t nod with a makeup brush on her eyelid, so Nancy said, “Yeah. My fiancé. That’s what I meant.”

She’d _meant_ husband, but telling Penny that would cause more confusion than it was worth. Today was the ceremony that everyone was going to get to see, but the one the day before had felt so much more _real_ that referring to Steve as her fiancé anymore felt _wrong_.

After everyone’s hair and makeup was done, they left the salon, grabbing sandwiches from one of Nancy’s favorite delis before heading to the hall to finish getting dressed.

“Not long now,” Karen said, doing up the zipper on the back of Nancy’s dress. “Are you nervous at all?”

“Not about Steve,” Nancy told her with a grateful smile. “Mostly I’m just nervous about falling on my face in front of everyone.”

Karen chuckled. “I’ll tell your father to keep you on your feet.”

Shaking her head, Nancy laughed. “Come on. We both know if he tried, we’d both go down.”

Covering her mouth, Karen muffled her laugh. “Then I suppose all we can do is pray.” She shrugged and looked into the mirror Nancy stood before. Putting her arm around Nancy’s shoulders, Karen said, “Oh! You look like a princess!”

Straightening the bodice of her dress, Nancy said, “I feel kind of like a princess.” Between the dress, the makeup, and the hairstyle, she wasn’t quite sure she recognized the person in the mirror. Could that really be the same person who’d survived all the things Nancy had been through? Shouldn’t it show more on her face?

She had scars, of course. The one on her palm was the most obvious, but there was a thin red scar on her upper left arm, a scratch she’d gotten running away from a demogorgon at one point. There was the ache she sometimes got in her wrist, stretch marks on her lower belly, and a scar on her leg. Steve had more scars, and _worse_ ones, she knew. And yet, they’d both lived long enough to get here, to this day.

Nancy felt less like a princess and more like a survivor.

Charlie approached the mirror from Nancy’s left side, wearing her pink bridesmaid dress and sulking. “Are you happy? I look like a stick of cotton candy.”

“No, you don’t,” Nancy insisted, looking at her face and Charlie’s side-by-side in the mirror. With their hair up in similar styles the resemblance between the two of them was uncanny. “Jesus, look at us. Everyone’s going to think you’re my sister.”

“No they—” Karen started to say, but she cut herself off. “Oh, my.”

Nancy shared a look with Charlie, wondering if finally telling her mother the truth would break her brain or not.

“It’s amazing how unrelated people can look so much alike,” Karen said, rationalizing it to herself. Nancy let the issue slide again. After all, Charlie looked a lot like Jonathan most of the time. There was no good way to explain her resemblance to both of them.

Robin joined them, holding out her arms, “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Charlie said, and Nancy got the feeling that if it wasn’t for Karen, Charlie would’ve given Robin a kiss.

Still, the fact that both Karen and Ted had come to the ceremony the day before gave Nancy hope that the world would continue to get more enlightened and they would eventually be done keeping secrets. Maybe she could even get everyone to recognize Jonathan as her and Steve’s husband. Eventually.

Okay, so maybe that was a pipe dream. Looking at Charlie and Robin, Nancy figured she’d have to start with those two being able to get married. She’d heard little things here and there when she went with Steve and Robin to their LGBT group. Her marriage to Steve would make her look respectable to the type of people in power. Less queer than she actually was. She could use that to her advantage, couldn’t she?

El joined the others, grinning. “I feel so pretty!” She gaped at Nancy, “You look pretty too! Oh my gosh!”

Nancy grinned, looking down at her dress. “Do you think Steve will like it?”

“Yes,” El insisted, clasping her hands together happily. “Totally.”

Before Nancy could tell El that living on the West coast was rubbing off on her speech patterns, Joyce stuck her head into the room. “It’s almost time, you guys! We’ll start lining up in two minutes!”

“Oh, everyone get your flowers,” Karen insisted, giving Holly and Jenny their baskets and crouching down to talk to them about their job.

Robin nudged Nancy with her elbow. “You got everything? Something old?”

“My earrings,” Nancy said, pointing to her grandmother’s pearl earrings.

“Something new?”

“The dress.”

“Something borrowed?”

“This necklace.” Nancy glanced at it again in the mirror, noticing how different the simple silver pendant looked than the ring on a chain she’d been wearing for the past three years.

“Something blue?”

“My underwear,” Nancy said with a grin, getting a giggle out of Robin and El and an amused scoff out of Charlie.

“Nancy, here,” Karen said, handing Nancy the large bouquet filled with white flowers, including trilliums (Nancy requested them as a nod to her true relationship). Then Karen took a step back and gasped sharply. “Oh! Oh, you’re such a beautiful bride!”

“The veil!” Robin said all of a sudden, distracting Nancy from what was about to be a disaster of tears. If Karen started crying, Nancy was sure to follow, and then she’d be showing up to her wedding with red eyes and a runny nose. And how would that look?

Robin handed Karen the veil, and she carefully pushed it into Nancy’s hairdo, just behind the tiara. “Now, we’re leaving this back, right?” Karen asked. “Not pulling it over your face?”

“As much as I would love to hide my face right now,” Nancy said with a smile, “no. I want it back. My face and I belong to myself, thank you very much.”

“You’re perfect,” Karen said, looking Nancy up and down. Nancy knew she meant her appearance was perfect, but if she took it to mean Karen was happy with everything Nancy was and everything she had done, well that was Nancy’s little secret.

“It’s time!” Joyce called into the room.

Nancy took a deep breath. She could do this.

Karen pushed a handkerchief into her hand. “Keep this with your bouquet. Just in case.”

Smiling, Nancy told her, “Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, Nancy.”

They left the getting-ready room in the basement of the hall and climbed the stairs, heading up to where they would enter the hall, walk down the aisle, and stand up in front of all Nancy’s family and friends. Nancy was about to follow the others around the corner, but Joyce said, “Wait here,” and leaned around the corner, waving someone close. “We don’t want Jonathan to see you yet either.”

Grinning, Nancy nodded. “Yeah. I want to surprise him, too.”

That was when Nancy’s father turned the corner. He blinked a few times before saying, “Wow. I—” He smiled before leaning in and giving her a hug. Nancy couldn’t remember the last time her father had hugged her. She had to look up and blink as she hugged him back, otherwise she was going to have to use the handkerchief her mother gave her, and the ceremony hadn’t even started yet.

When Ted pulled back, Nancy said, “Are you ready to walk me down the aisle, Dad?”

“I suppose,” he said, offering her his left arm, “that I’ll never be more ready.”

Nancy took it and held on. A few minutes later, the music changed and it was time.

Nancy focused on her posture, focused on taking deliberate steps and not tripping, focused on walking at the same speed as her father. Before she realized it, she was halfway up the aisle. Looking up, all the way to the end, she saw Steve in his tux, and Jonathan right next to him. Unless Nancy was mistaken, they were holding onto each other, their hands hidden from the audience at large.

She loved them so much, she felt like she might burst with it.

She knew she was supposed to look around at the people who had come to the wedding, nod and acknowledge them, but she only had eyes for her boys. Her husbands. Both of them. She couldn’t look away.

She realized that all summer, and especially for the last three weeks, she’d kept it in the back of her mind that there was a chance this wedding wasn’t going to happen. Their lives had been turned upside down time and time again. Getting too attached to any one future just ended in disappointment and misery.

Except not this time. This time, they were here. It was happening. Nancy was getting married!


	7. Chapter 7

Steve wasn’t sure what he would have done if Jonathan hadn’t been there, a discreet hand in his as they watched Nancy walk down the aisle. He probably would have fainted, or started crying. She looked like the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and here she was, getting married to _Steve_!

He knew that the ceremony the day before had functionally been the same thing, but this? A capital-w Wedding in a hall meant for weddings? The white dress? The officiant? The flowers? The bridal party? It had all the pieces, and something felt settled and right in the center of his chest. _This_ is what he’d been dreaming about when he was thinking about buying an engagement ring three years ago. _This_ is what he’d been thinking about when he’d gotten down on one knee and proposed to Nancy. _This_ is what he’d been thinking about when he’d seen her smile across the room all those years ago in high school and asked her out.

Yeah, it was an annoyingly straight tradition, when neither he nor Nancy were straight. It was an annoyingly monogamous tradition, when neither of them were monogamous. It was an annoyingly sexist tradition, when both of them knew their relationship was one of equals.

And still, Steve had wanted it. He’d wanted to marry Nancy Wheeler for so long, it almost felt like it would never happen. But now it _was_. It was happening!

She reached the end of the aisle, and Steve let go of Jonathan to meet her there. He shook Ted’s hand and then helped Nancy up a few steps to stand in front of the Justice of the Peace. He whispered to her, “You look…”

“You too,” she replied, and he saw the way she met Jonathan’s eyes past his shoulder, just for a second. Still, she didn’t let go of Steve’s hand, and Steve wasn’t about to pull away from her. Not now, not ever.

The Justice, a nice older man with a kind smile who’d been a dream to work with over the whole planning process, spoke up, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear him. “Friends and family, we are gathered together today to witness the lawful matrimony of Nancy Frances Wheeler to Steven Grant Byers.”

Steve squeezed her hand, and Nancy smiled, squeezing back.

“Steve and Nancy were high school sweethearts, and in the years since, they’ve stuck together through thick and thin. Their relationship has survived six years of hardship, joy, loss, and celebration. Six years of love is a triumph that anyone can see. Today they are promising to keep that love going for much longer than another six years. They are promising to love one another for the rest of their lives!

“Now, those of us who have been married for a while know that this sort of love and commitment takes work, but boy, the rewards you get from that work are so very much worth it, believe you me!”

An amused murmur rippled through the audience and Steve smiled at Nancy. He remembered the year they had spent apart, only seeing each other on school breaks and the occasional weekend. He remembered the weeks he spent in Cedarville, waiting to get her and Jonathan back from where they’d been trapped. He remembered the disagreements, and the apologies and sweet words that followed. Mostly he remembered the countless times he’d woken up in the same room as Nancy, watching her wake up, her hair bunched to one side, her mouth dry with sleep, her eyes slow-blinking and so damn blue in the morning light.

The Justice then announced, “Nancy and Steve have written vows to one another. Nancy, would you go first, please?”

Nodding, Nancy squeezed Steve’s hand and looked up at him. “Steve,” she said, her voice cracking a little. “We both know that the traditional vows aren’t for us. I don’t think you’ve ever once expected me to obey _anyone_ , and that’s a testament to how well you know me.”

Steve chuckled and nodded, hearing an amused rumble from Jonathan as well.

“You know me better than anyone, and I know I can always count on you to have my back. You’re kind, and sincere, and you find ways to make the smallest of moments joyful and fun.”

Steve grinned, nodding to acknowledge the fact that yes, he did try to make Nancy’s life fun. She was so serious all the time, he felt like he _had_ to. It was gratifying to hear that she appreciated his efforts.

“What I promise you is this,” she paused, her eyes shiny as she looked at him, the love evident on her face. “I promise to love you fiercely, every single day. I promise to nurture our relationship, and never take you for granted. I promise to protect you from those who would do you harm. I promise to support you for who you are, and who _you_ want to be. And I promise to be your wife, for as long as you’ll have me.”

She smiled and the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes fell. Giving a soft chuckle, she let go of Steve’s hand, and took a cloth from around the handle of her bouquet, dabbing at her face before stashing it again. When she took Steve’s hand again, he had to breathe to steady himself.

Somehow, there’d been a little part of Steve that always thought Nancy loved Jonathan just a _little_ bit more than she loved him. Now, though? His doubts were erased. Nancy _loved_ him. She loved him as much as she loved Jonathan. He couldn’t help but beam at her, a happy tear escaping his left eye as well.

Nancy reached up, brushing the tear away with her thumb, a soft, serene smile on her lips. The crowd murmured appreciatively, but Steve didn’t look at them. In that moment, he only had eyes for her.

“Steve?” asked the Justice. “Would you like to say your vows?”

“I should’ve gone first,” he murmured, which made Nancy giggle. She withdrew her hand from his face and returned it to his hand.

Steve felt a light touch on his back, and Jonathan being there, supporting the both of them in this, gave Steve the motivation to say the words he’d been practicing for weeks.

“Nancy, I feel like I’ve loved you as long as I’ve known you. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.” She looked away, blushing, so Steve insisted, “It’s true! You get how important it is to show up, you know? It seems like a simple thing, to be there when you say you’re going to be, but so many people just _aren’t_. I feel safe with you. You’re so brave, and so, so smart. You make me feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

Nancy gave a wet chuckle and let go of his hand long enough to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief.

When she gave him back her hand, he squeezed it playfully and grinned. “I mean, how lucky am I? Nancy Freaking Wheeler loves me!”

Nancy closed her eyes, covered her face with her bouquet and shook her head. Steve would’ve been embarrassed, but there was a grin hiding behind her flowers.

“That’s not my middle name,” she said, in a soft, but wry tone.

Behind Steve, Jonathan cleared his throat.

Still grinning and unbelievably happy, Steve said, “I promise to be your husband, to love and cherish you, and hold you close to my heart for as long as you’ll have me.”

Nancy lowered her bouquet, still grinning, but her eyes were shiny, too. She nodded and squeezed Steve’s hand just before a blink caused a tear to fall from her left eye.

The Justice – who Steve had totally forgotten was standing an arm’s length away the whole time – said, “May we have the rings?

Jonathan stepped out from behind Steve, putting his back to the audience and facing both of them as he reached into his jacket pocket. Holding out his hand, he had two gold rings in it, one larger, one more delicate. He took the larger one, holding it out to Nancy, who first handed her bouquet to Charlie. As she took it, Steve noticed the way her fingers caressed Jonathan’s hand, and it sent a tiny shiver up his spine.

Then Jonathan held Nancy’s ring out to Steve. His fingers felt big and clumsy as he grasped it, and when he quietly thanked Jonathan, he had to bite back the, “sweetheart,” that was ready on his tongue.

“Steve, repeat after me, please,” said the Justice. “Take this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion, now and for always.”

Steve repeated the words as he slipped the ring onto Nancy’s finger. She grinned at him, and Steve found himself grinning back.

He gave her his hand, but she frowned slightly and said, “No, the other one.”

“Right,” Steve said, feeling a little embarrassed as he gave her his left hand. He’d never worn a wedding ring before. Not on his hand, at least.

Before he could feel too mortified, Nancy was putting the ring on his finger, saying, “Take this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion, now and for always.”

Always. He liked the sound of that!

Nancy finished pushing his ring into place and wrapped both her hands around his. Steve covered the back of her hand with his right one, holding onto her.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife! Congratulations!”

Nancy moved at the same time he did and they met in the middle for a firm, if tame, kiss. The audience clapped and when Steve pulled back, Nancy was crying again.

“You good?” he murmured.

Nancy nodded. “I’m perfect.” She pulled one hand out of Steve’s, turning to Charlie and taking her bouquet back. She freed her other hand, dabbing at her face with a handkerchief. Steve took the opportunity to grin back at Jonathan and his other groomsmen. Dustin gave him two thumbs up and Jonathan put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. It seemed wrong his hand didn’t have a ring too.

Then Nancy took his arm and the music started up again. “That’s us,” she said, giving him her prettiest smile yet.

“Then let’s go,” Steve told her, holding his arm steady for her as they got down the few riser steps and headed down the aisle together.

~*~

After the wedding ceremony, Jonathan stood in the receiving line next to Steve, despite trying to duck away to get out of it like the other members of the wedding party. Steve grabbed him by the arm, saying, “Please? People won’t get it if I ask Mom, _your_ Mom, to be here instead of my dad. Be my Byers family rep?”

“Fine,” Jonathan said, closing his eyes and sighing.

“Besides,” Nancy said from Steve’s other side, “you belong with us, not off to the side somewhere.”

“Exactly.” Steve added with a grin, pulling Jonathan into a sideways hug as Nancy’s parents reached the end of the hall and entered the vestibule.

Karen gave a delighted squeal as she hurried over, first hugging Nancy, then Steve as she said, “Welcome to the family.”

Jonathan thought that was going to be it, but then Karen hugged him too. “Welcome to the family, Jonathan.”

“Thanks,” he said, returning her hug. Ted shook his hand. Harriet gave him a tight squeeze as well.

For a minute, he felt almost like this had been his wedding too, especially when his own mother hugged him and said, “I’m so proud of you!”

But then the rest of the wedding guests came by. He shook their hands, thanked them for coming, and introduced himself as Jonathan, the best man, if they asked. It was grueling, and at one point Charlie nudged him.

_Your shield is getting wobbly._

_This is torture._

She laughed at him, but she also helped him strengthen the shield that kept him from feeling everyone’s emotions all the time. His mood improved a little bit, but it improved more once the last guest went by.

El grabbed him then, pulling him by the arm. “Come on! Mom says we get to throw rice on Steve and Nancy now!”

Amused by her delight in the old tradition, Jonathan followed the others outside. The path between the hall and the limo was lined with guests holding little bags of rice. Joyce pressed one into his hand, asking, “Should I throw a little on you, too?”

“That’s okay,” Jonathan told her, untying the ribbon around the little blue mesh bag. At his shoulder, Will said, “I’ve heard throwing rice is kind of bad for birds. They eat it and, like, explode or something.”

“Gross,” Dustin replied, but looked around, like he was trying to find a bird to try it on.

Jonathan turned back to the doorway just in time to see Steve and Nancy come through it. Their hands linked together, they grinned. Both looked for him and met his eyes before running past. Rice flew into the air, showering down on them as they got into the limo.

It drove off, but Jonathan knew they were just going around the block, coming back here to the hall to take pictures. His bag of rice sat in his hands, still unused. Not really sure what to do with it, he tied the ribbon back around it and slipped it into his pocket.

Most of the guests left, having a couple hours to relax before the reception was set to begin. The bridal party stayed, as did the immediate families (Jonathan’s included) and Nancy’s grandparents. They wandered back into the hall, waiting for the photographers to set up and Jonathan’s spouses to return. At Joyce’s behest, Jenny and Holly passed out bottles of cold water.

Since it was August in Chicago and he was wearing a full tux, Jonathan took one gratefully, pressing it to the back of his neck for a moment before cracking it open and drinking. He sat down in the rows of chairs facing the dais and put his feet up, unused to the shoes he was wearing.

Will sat down in the aisle ahead of him, turning and facing him. “You okay?”

“I’m okay,” Jonathan assured him, reaching forward and patting his arm gratefully. “It’s just a lot going on all at once.”

Will nodded. He looked over at where Mike and El were talking with Mike’s grandparents. “I think Mike might propose soon.”

It wasn’t a wild guess, by any means. El had moved out to California when Mike and Will got into CalTech. She’d worked in a bookstore and took classes at a nearby junior college. All three of them lived together.

“How do you feel about that?” Jonathan asked softly.

Will shrugged. “Fine.”

Jonathan raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“It’s not like with you guys,” Will insisted. “I don’t want... well, you know.”

Jonathan nodded, remembering sitting at their kitchen table in the old Hawkins house all those years ago. Will admitted he didn’t feel attraction toward anyone. Jonathan figured that was still the case. “Yeah. I know.”

“But I like being part of a family.” He nodded toward Mike and El. “Part of their family.”

Meeting Will’s eyes, Jonathan told him. “If it’s still making you happy, keep doing it. No matter what people on the outside might think.”

Giving Jonathan a soft smile, Will nodded. “Okay.”

Jonathan noticed his spouses getting close again. Wanting to be the one who greeted them, Jonathan told his brother, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He left the hall, heading down the walkway just as the limo pulled into the parking lot. It stopped in front of him, so Jonathan reached forward and opened the door.

Steve grinned up at him. “Hi!”

“Hello,” Jonathan said with a laugh, giving Steve his hand as he got out of the car. “Nance,” he said, helping her out as well. “How does it feel to be married?”

“Good,” she said, holding his hand and drawing him toward the building. “But there’s one more thing we have to do.”

“What is it?” Jonathan asked, letting Nancy lead him into the hall foyer and then around the corner and down a flight of stairs. “What are we–”

Nancy pulled him by both lapels and kissed him. After making a pleased noise, Nancy said, “Kiss Steve, too.”

“Sure,” Jonathan replied, still not quite sure what was going on. As he kissed Steve, he felt Nancy loosening his tie. “Wait, what? The photographer and everyone is waiting for you guys. We can’t...”

“Not _sex_ ,” Nancy said, batting away his hands and undoing the top button of his shirt. She reached underneath his collar and fished out the chain he’d worn around his neck for the past three years. “We want you wearing this for the pictures.”

“Oh,” he said dumbly, watching Nancy’s nimble fingers undo the clasp of the chain. She slid his ring off it, handing it to Steve before reconnecting the ends and slipping the chain into Jonathan’s right pocket.

Steve took Jonathan’s left hand in his and lined up the ring before his finger. Nancy’s hand joined Steve’s on the ring and they looked at each other. With a nod from Nancy, they said in unison, “Take this ring as a symbol of our love and devotion, now and for always.”

Those were the same words they’d said to each other during the exchange of rings. They pushed the ring onto Jonathan’s finger together, seating it back where it belonged.

“Thank you,” he murmured, a bright flare of emotion making his chest tight and his eyes water. “I love you, too. Always.”

They wrapped their arms around him, holding him close. Nancy pulled him into a kiss first, but his kiss with Steve lasted longer. Despite the time he’d had with them the night before, and early that morning, Jonathan couldn’t help but want _more_ time. _More_ of them. _Less_ clothing.

~*~

Taking pictures seemed like it took _forever_ , especially when the photographer didn’t know why they wanted a picture with _just_ the best man. They took one with just Charlie, too, and that seemed to pacify him.

They fit the whole bridal party into the limo on the ride to the hotel where the reception was taking place, Nancy wedged in between Steve and Jonathan in the wide back seat near the doors.

“Oh, sweet,” Steve said, pulling a bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket next to him. He gave a look to Jonathan before saying, “Or maybe we’ll wait until we get to the reception.”

“Yeah,” Jake said from the other end of the limo. “Some of us might get in deep shit with our parents if you open that here.”

Charlie took the bottle and handed it to Robin, who put it in her tote-like purse before giving Jonathan a wink.

“I’m really okay, guys,” Jonathan said with a laugh, his arm warm around Nancy’s shoulders.

“You are,” Nancy told him, grasping his hand on her shoulder and running her finger over the hard band of his ring. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed the sight of it on his hand until he put it back on. She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, “Remember our wedding night?”

Jonathan gave her a smile and nodded. She wondered if he remembered that day being bittersweet, like she did. That night, after leaving the bonfire in the middle of town, they’d walked home together hand-in-hand. In the low light of the one bulb over the kitchen sink, they’d undressed each other and climbed into bed. The night had been fairly warm, even up in the mountains, and they’d had sex on top of the covers, rather than underneath them. Nancy remembered holding Jonathan’s left hand close, kissing his ring and wishing with every inch of her body, that Steve had been there too.

Nancy turned in her limo seat, grasping Steve’s left hand and kissing his knuckle just next to his ring. Jonathan reached over her and did the same. Steve gave them both looks that were loving, but also... well, it was obvious he wanted to get them out of their clothes. Nancy could relate. Although she loved how Steve and Jonathan looked in their tuxes, getting through the reception before she could take all those clothes off them was going to be torture.

The limo pulled up to the hotel where the reception was being held. Steve got out first, offering Nancy his hand and helping her out of the car. She turned back, wanting to wait for Jonathan, but he waved her on as he got out. “Go ahead. Everyone will want to see you two together.”

Though she supposed it was true, Nancy was disappointed she hadn’t taken a quick second in the car to kiss Jonathan properly. The whole rest of the evening was going to involve pretending she didn’t love and want Jonathan as anything more than a friend. She thought maybe somebody should do something to make society at large more accepting of the fact that she had two husbands, and she loved them both the same.

As Nancy entered the reception ballroom, hand-in-hand with Steve, cheers greeted them. The DJ Steve had hired (one of his and Robin’s friends from the queer community center) said over the loudspeaker, “Hey! There they are! It’s the happy couple! Mr. and Mrs. Byers!”

More cheers erupted throughout the room and then they were swarmed with people wanting to talk to them and congratulate them. On any other day, it might have been overwhelming, but Nancy was just _so_ happy that she could _finally_ call Steve her husband. It felt like she should have been able to before this, like he’d been her husband since he’d proposed in his mother’s garage two and a half years ago.

They talked to people, and then it was time to eat, and Nancy barely got three bites into her dinner before she felt full. Between the corset-like strapless bra she was wearing and the dress itself, there wasn’t much room for food, even though she still _felt_ hungry. She ate as well as she could, and was glad for the distraction when her father stood up at the microphone with a glass of champagne in his hand.

He cleared his throat right into the microphone, waiting a second before saying, “I, uh, would like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with us today. Nancy has always been a, um, well a _handful_. I wish you luck handling her, Steven.” He raised his glass toward them as a few laughs murmured through the crowd. “To Nancy and Steve.”

“Nancy and Steve!” the crowd cheered.

Putting on a smile she didn’t think her dad’s “speech” deserved, Nancy raised her glass with everyone else and took a sip.

Steve leaned over and murmured, “Don’t worry, babe. I know you don’t need to be handled.”

“No shit,” she replied. She leaned past Steve to share a look with Jonathan, but he was getting to his feet. She grabbed Steve’s arm and nodded to where Jonathan was approaching the microphone. “He’s giving a toast?”

“He wanted to,” Steve told her, putting his hand over hers.

Up at the microphone, Jonathan had a glass of water in his hand. He took a deep breath and then said into the microphone, “Hi, everyone. I’m Jonathan, the best man.” The little sigh he gave made Nancy think he wasn’t exactly _happy_ about having to introduce himself as that. “I met Nancy and Steve in school. We’re all from the same small town in Indiana, so it’s safe to say I knew them before I ever really _knew_ them. But then…”

Jonathan paused, looking over at Nancy, then at Steve.

“Everyone always says high school is rough, but I had a particularly hard time of it. I wouldn’t have made it through if it wasn’t for Nancy, and Steve.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Steve made himself part of my family right when we needed him. And Nancy? Well, let’s just say we’ve been through a lot together.”

Beside Nancy, Charlie gave a soft, dark chuckle. Nancy looked over, meeting her eye and guessing she had to be thinking about that year Nancy and Jonathan spent in Cedarville.

“She’s my best friend,” Jonathan continued. “They both are, Nancy and Steve. My best friends.” His eyes were a little shiny as he smiled and Nancy felt dangerously close to choking up. Steve put his arm around her shoulders and leaned closer as Jonathan spoke. “You guys deserve every happiness this world has to offer. I know that you’re going to spend the rest of your lives loving each other. Con-” Jonathan choked up a little, breathing a little laugh at himself as he raised his glass. “Congratulations.”

Raising her glass in his direction, Nancy said, “Thank you,” and she thought _hard_ about how much she loved him, hoping he hadn’t shielded himself too thoroughly to be able to feel it.

Steve said into Nancy’s ear, “Fuck, I wish we could kiss him.”

Nancy nodded and told him, “Soon enough.” Thinking again, she added, “And for the rest of our lives.”

“Yeah. Forever.”


	8. Chapter 8

Steve led his wife and his husband from the hotel elevator to the other end of the top floor, taking the key card out of his pocket and using it to open the door to the honeymoon suite. He was a little tipsy from the drinks people had kept pressing on him, but it was getting late, and sobriety started setting in again. Nancy went through the door first, Jonathan following her, and Steve brought up the rear, putting the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. He closed it and locked it, adding the chain as well. He doubted any of the staff would try to come into the honeymoon suite before they checked out, but he could do without them finding him in bed with his wife _and_ his husband.

Loosening his tie as he walked into the room, he stopped long enough to hang up his jacket and toss his pants onto the floor underneath. When he got as far as the bed, he smiled at the sight of Nancy sitting on the end of the bed, her dress pooled all around her. Jonathan had one knee on the far side of the bed, leaning close enough to Nancy to kiss her shoulder. His jacket was off, his tie loose and his vest unbuttoned. Steve stopped short, just to watch them.

They were _his_.

Jonathan and Nancy were _his_ , and the rings they wore on their left hands were proof.

The one on his hand proved he was theirs, too.

“Can you help me take my hair down?” Nancy asked, reaching up and shifting the tiara on her head.

“Sure,” Steve said, just before Jonathan kissed her neck and said, “Of course.”

Steve went over to Nancy, standing in front of her. He bent down and kissed her before gently removing the tiara from her hair. Setting it aside, he joined Jonathan in easing all the bobby pins out of her hair, unraveling curl after curl. He couldn’t help but trace his fingers down Nancy’s neck as they fell, feeling the heat of her skin.

She sighed, tilting her head a bit to give him better access to her neck, and the sight sent a deep riptide of want through him. After pulling the next pin, he brushed her hair back and bent over, kissing up the long column of her neck.

“Steve…” she whispered, pushing a hand into the hair at the back of his neck, her nails scratching lightly over his scalp. He felt Jonathan lean closer as well, a hand on Steve’s back, his lips on Nancy’s other shoulder.

After giving her neck another kiss, Steve asked, “How opposed are you to showing up to breakfast in the morning with a hickey or two?”

Nancy laughed. “Certainly would give the family something to talk about.”

“What would they do, do you think,” Jonathan asked in a low voice that sent a shiver up Steve’s spine, “if they found out I was here?”

“Probably try to perform an exorcism on me,” Nancy joked, her fingers on the buttons of Steve’s shirt. “I don’t know. They might actually just ignore the fact that you’re with us, if it lets them think of _me_ as normal. Straight.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what your parents are doing,” Jonathan pointed out.

Nancy looked sad when she nodded, so Steve cupped her face in his hands. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Nance. _Nothing_.”

She smiled up at him, and Steve couldn’t help but kiss her smile. Then he couldn’t help but say with wonder, “You’re my wife. My _wife_. I have a wife!”

Nancy and Jonathan both laughed, hugging him close. Then Nancy let go and put her hands up into her hair. “How many more pins are there? I’m getting tired.”

“Not too many,” Jonathan said, moving onto the bed and kneeling behind her, taking the pins from her hair.

Steve’s legs were getting tired, so he knelt on the ground at Nancy’s feet. He rested his head on her right knee and put his hand on her left ankle. “You need any help with your dress?”

Tilting her head forward so Jonathan could get the pins in the back, she looked at Steve through her eyebrows and smiled. “Eventually.”

Sliding his hand up her leg, Steve asked, “What about what you’re wearing under the dress?”

“You already took my garter,” she said with a laugh. “The only things left are the crinoline and my underwear.”

Steve grinned at her and slid his hand further up her leg. “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“Bullshit.”

Jonathan laughed.

Mock-offended, Steve cried, “Hey!”

“Maybe…” Nancy bit her lower lip. “Maybe you should see the panties I’m wearing. They’re a certain color.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked, lifting his head from her knee and putting his other hand on her leg. He slid both hands up to her knees, then ducked his whole head under her skirt.

Nancy shrieked a little and laughed, but she spread her knees for him too.

Taking that as an invitation, Steve moved his hands further up and raised up on his knees to lift her skirt more with his head. Pushing up a little more, he saw her panties and reported with delight, “They’re blue!”

“Something blue?” Jonathan asked.

“Mmhmm,” Nancy replied, her voice breathy as Steve kissed the inside of her knee, then trailed his kisses up her inner thigh. He got his hands on the hips of her panties, tugging on them and grinning when Nancy lifted her hips and let him take them.

Steve took them all the way down, off one ankle, then the other, before holding them up triumphantly, Nancy skirt sliding down his arm until they were visible. “See? Blue!”

His spouses laughing, Steve chose that moment to throw the panties across the room and then press the flat of his tongue to Nancy’s pussy. She took a surprised breath, and as he licked her she groaned. “Oh! Oh, fuck. Steve!”

He did it a few more times, getting her as nice and wet as he could. He thought everything was good, but then Nancy pushed him with one of her feet, saying, “Wait, stop!”

Getting his head out from under her dress, Steve asked, “What? What’s wrong?”

Her nose wrinkled, Nancy said, “The crinoline is a rental. We have to give it back tomorrow.”

“So… if we take this part off,” Steve asked, reaching for where the crinoline was tied around her waist, “then can I?”

“Is this, like a _thing_?” Nancy asked. “Having sex in my wedding dress?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a thing,” Steve told her, sliding one of his hands up her thigh until she smacked his hand. “Once in a lifetime opportunity, is all I’m saying.”

Nancy laughed and shook her head, but she also leaned forward, grasping his face and giving him a kiss. Fuck, he wanted her so bad. He was about to start begging, but then she pushed at his shoulder and said, “Back up. It’ll be easier to take this thing off if I’m standing up.”

Steve hopped up to his feet and gave Nancy a hand to her feet. “How do we get it off?”

“There’s a tie in the back,” she said, turning to put her back to him.

Steve shot Jonathan a grin as he pulled up on the train of Nancy’s dress. “You wanna get in on this?”

“Up to you,” he said, smiling back before gathering up all the things they’d pulled out of Nancy’s hair. “It’s your guys’ wedding day. You want it to be just the two of you at first?”

Nancy turned, looking at Steve over her shoulder and raising an eyebrow. “Maybe,” she said.

“Whatever you want, babe,” Steve told her, dropping a kiss on her shoulder as his hands found the ties she must have been talking about. “I kind of think we’ve had enough time to just the two of us lately.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

He pulled the ends of the ties, undoing the knot, and then Nancy was helping him push it down and step out of it. As Steve pulled it free, tossing it in the corner of the room, Nancy went to Jonathan. She leaned over him, planting her hands on either side of his shoulders. “Be here with us?”

Nodding, Jonathan pushed his hands up into her hair and pulled her into a kiss. Steve joined them, undoing the rest of his shirt buttons as he walked. Leaving his shirt on but open, and pushing off his boxers, Steve lifted up the back of Nancy’s skirt. “What do you think, Nance? Can I fuck you while Jonathan holds you?”

“Please,” she said, climbing further onto the bed, and hitching up the front of her skirt so her knees were bare on either side of Jonathan’s thighs.

Steve shuddered at the sight. Here was the woman he loved the most in the whole world, wearing the dress she’d worn when she promised to be his forever, letting him caress her ass and grasp her hips. As he pressed in, finding her exquisitely wet, Steve groaned and said, “Okay, this is really doing it for me.”

Nancy giggled, but Jonathan’s laugh was deeper and dirtier. He shifted so he could see Steve around Nancy and asked, “You gonna come before you can get her to? You’re gonna need another man to make your wife come on her wedding night?”

A shiver running up his spine, Steve said, “Fuuuuck. Don’t say that! You’re gonna make me…”

Jonathan laughed again, holding Nancy close and kissing her.

Biting his lip, Steve pushed away the urge to come. He focused on getting the angle Nancy needed from him, the one that made her cry out. Still, he could tell she wasn’t quite getting there. He slowed his hips and got his arm around her, finding her clit with his fingers and stroking it as best he could.

He didn’t like it, but it was true. Over the past three weeks, he and Nancy had fallen into the habit of having sex just with each other. Which meant he had a good idea of the exact tempo he needed to…

“Ah!” Nancy cried out, pressing back against him, starting to come. He left off her clit and grabbed her hips, pulling her back onto his cock fast enough to keep her up with him as he got off. Her cries reached a crescendo Steve recognized. The release he felt upon finally getting to let go was incredible. He held her close so he could come deep inside her, inside his _wife_. She was _his_ , for the rest of their lives.

Leaning forward, Steve wrapped his arms around her, pressing his forehead to her back, telling her, “God, I love you so much, Nancy. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she murmured, putting her left hand over his on her hip.

As he pulled out, he got the urgent need to see her face. “Turn over, babe,” he said, gently urging her to roll off Jonathan. She did, landing on her back, her legs spreading to welcome Steve as he stepped between them. Even though he’d come, he still wanted to be connected to her, so he pushed back into Nancy, cupping her face and leaning down to kiss her.

She kissed him back and took a sharp breath through her nose, shifting her hips. Steve rolled his, earning a pleased moan from her. He kissed her once more before shifting his weight to his left arm and using the right to reach for Jonathan. “C’mere.”

Jonathan sat up far enough to meet Steve in a deep kiss. Steve couldn’t help but caress him. His neck, his chest, his hip. “Why are you still wearing pants?”

Jonathan chuckled and asked, “Why is Nancy still wearing her dress?”

Steve looked at Nancy, at the flush of her skin contrasted with the white of her dress, then up at her face. She had one eyebrow raised, like she was seconding Jonathan’s question.

Leaning forward, Steve kissed her, grinding his pelvic bone against her clit and making her sigh. Then he asked quietly in her ear, “Can I see our husband fuck you while you’re still wearing it?”

Nancy laughed, but she also rolled her hips and said, “Yeah. I want that too.”

“Want what?” Jonathan asked, pushing his pants off and then taking off his shirt.

Steve gave Nancy a few more thrusts, before pulling back. Nancy reached for Jonathan, saying, “God, I need you, sweetheart. Please!”

He didn’t need to be told twice. As Steve moved to the side, making room for Jonathan, he swooped in, kissing Nancy before pushing into her. She cried out and Steve _had_ to go to her.

Getting rid of his shirt, he laid down beside Nancy, moving close enough to get his lips on her neck. He wrapped his hand around Jonathan’s arm, feeling the way the muscles flexed as he drove into Nancy. When Steve licked, then sucked on her neck, Nancy cried out again.

His breath short, Jonathan said, “You getting close again, Nance?”

Nancy nodded.

Pausing, Jonathan leaned back a bit, taking Steve’s hand and tugging it toward where he and Nancy were connected. The bunched up fabric felt silky against his skin and when Steve found her clit, the slippery skin felt almost as good.

Nancy groaned as Jonathan picked up his pace. “So wet,” he muttered, leaning close enough to kiss Steve again.

“Know… what this reminds me… of?” Nancy asked, pulling Jonathan so she could kiss him too.

“What?” Steve asked, speeding up his fingers. If she could talk, he wasn’t getting her close enough.

She gave a soft scream against Jonathan’s lips before turning her head and gasping out, “Your… Junior… prom.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Steve remembered with a chuckle. “The dress, the hickey. The one I gave you then was way worse.”

“Do it right, then!” Nancy cried, throwing her head back.

Oh, Steve recognized this. She was so close to coming. He gave Jonathan a grin before pressing his face to Nancy’s neck and sucking _hard_. She screamed and pulsed against his fingers.

“Jesus,” Jonathan muttered, speeding up for just a few seconds before stilling, breathing hard and pressing his forehead to Nancy’s chest.

Steve got his hand out from between them, wrapping it around Jonathan’s back, kissing his shoulder. Looking at his handiwork on Nancy’s neck, Steve grinned. “Ooh, that’s gonna be a good one.”

“Can I take the dress off now?” Nancy asked as Jonathan slid off to her other side.

With a laugh, Steve said, “Yeah. Yeah. Here, lemme help you.” He stood, helping Nancy to her feet and kissing her again.

Smiling up at him, she said, “There’s a zipper in the back. You wanna get that for me, baby?”

“I would be happy to, pumpkin.”

Frowning over her shoulder at him, Nancy asked, “Pumpkin?”

Before Steve could answer, Jonathan laughed sharply, covering his mouth as he sat up.

“What?” Nancy asked Jonathan, turning to face him as Steve got the zipper of her dress down. “Is he making fun of me?”

“No, of course not,” Steve told her, kissing her shoulder as he guided her arms from their little off-the-shoulder sleeves and let her dress fall to the ground. Under it, she wore a sort of strapless corset-bra-thing.

Jonathan explained, “Steve believes married people should have cute pet names for each other.”

Nancy scoffed and reached for the hooks of her bra-thing. As Steve undid them for her, she said, “Does it _have_ to be, ‘pumpkin?’”

“Honey?” Steve asked, pushing one of his hands up into her hair and fishing out a pin they’d missed.

Tossing her undergarment to the side of the room, Nancy replied, “See, that one I like. Doesn’t make me feel fat.”

Scoffing at the sentiment, Steve told her, “I love you, whatever you look like. Remember?”

“Keep that in mind,” she said, pulling him back toward the bed, “when we have kids and I get huge again.”

Jonathan got the covers of the bed down, slipping under them, and Nancy joined him. Steve crawled in after her. “When are you thinking that’ll be?”

“I don’t know,” Nancy said. “Five years? Maybe more? I really want to get my career off the ground first.”

“Whatever you want, honey,” Steve said, smiling at the giggle he got out of her. Kissing her neck again he murmured, “Angel. Princess. Darling. Sugar.”

“Stop! Stop!” Nancy said through her laughter.

Steve laughed too, leaning over Nancy to kiss Jonathan again. “Sweetheart.”

“Hmm,” Jonathan hummed against his lips. “Baby.”

“How do we feel about a round two?”

“Well,” Nancy told him, scratching her fingers through the hair on his chest. “ _I_ certainly wouldn’t mind. Jonathan?”

“I’m gonna need a couple minutes.” When Nancy pouted her lips in his direction, Jonathan kissed them.

“We’ll get started slow,” Steve said, putting his hand over Jonathan’s and kissing from Nancy’s neck down to her left breast. “Take our time. Do this right. You only get one wedding night.”

Breaking away from Nancy’s lips, Jonathan said, “This is my third wedding night.”

Steve chuckled and shook his head.

“It’s our _last_ wedding night,” Nancy said, pushing her hand into Steve’s hair and looking at him with such love in her eyes that it made his chest hurt with how big his heart felt. “But we’ll have the rest of our lives to practice loving each other.”

Jonathan made a pleased noise, kissing her jaw, but Steve couldn’t help but joke. “Do you mean loving each other or _loving_ each other?” he asked, putting a dirty emphasis on the second, “loving.”

“Both,” Nancy said with a laugh. “Now, what were you up to, baby?”

“I was thinking you probably taste amazing right about now,” Steve admitted, scooting lower as he kissed down the center of her belly.

“This is our husband,” Nancy said, and when Steve glanced up she had one eyebrow raised at Jonathan. “We _chose_ him.”

“We did,” Jonathan agreed, petting Steve’s hair, then caressing his cheek. “Weird kinks and all.”

“Go ahead, keep insulting me.” Steve put another kiss just under Nancy’s belly button. “I don’t _have_ to let you fuck me while I’m eating out our wife.”

Nancy gave a very interested gasp.

“My sincerest apologies,” Jonathan said, stroking his fingers through Steve’s hair again. “You know I love everything about you.”

“I love you, too.”

And he did. He loved Jonathan and Nancy so fiercely sometimes it felt like it would kill him. He’d survived almost seven years feeling this way, so he decided not to worry about it and set about the business of getting his wife to come at least once more on their wedding night.

~*~

When Jonathan woke up, he felt in dire need of coffee. They’d stayed up far too late the night before, and now it was morning and maybe he could fall back asleep, except he was jet lagged and his body insisted it was late afternoon. Since more sleep wasn’t happening, Jonathan decided to take a shower instead. As he was running the hotel shampoo through his hair, Jonathan noticed the feel of his wedding ring on his finger.

Washing the suds off his hand, Jonathan looked at his ring, spinning it around his finger with his thumb. He realized he’d missed it more than he thought he had, not wearing it for the past three years, save here and there when the chain broke, or when he needed to for a cover. Now he could wear it all the time.

He heard the door open, and then the shower curtain pulled back. “Mind if I join you?” Nancy asked.

Smiling at her, Jonathan nodded and reached for her. “What time are we supposed to be downstairs?”

“In an hour or so. We should get packed up and check out before then.” Nancy stepped into the shower, scrunching up her face when the water hit it, then wrapping her arms around Jonathan. She pressed her face to his chest, and there was a hint of sadness in her mood.

Rubbing her back, Jonathan asked, “What’s wrong?

“I just… I was avoiding thinking about it because we had the wedding to get through, but…” Nancy sighed, hugging him tighter. “I don’t want them to take you away again.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Jonathan told her, tilting her head up with his hand and kissing her. “Even if I have to be your secret husband you only see at night.”

Nancy scoffed and rolled her eyes, but then she kissed him again. “You’re already my secret husband.”

“But I’m also your _first_ husband, which has to count for something,” Jonathan pointed out, grinning when it got the laugh he was looking for. After a few more kisses, he asked her, “Want me to wash your hair?”

“Mm, yes please,” she replied.

They were almost done when the door opened again. “Hey,” Steve said, pulling the shower curtain aside. “Oh, you’re both in here.”

“Where else would we be?” Nancy asked.

“Getting coffee or something, I thought,” he replied, making a show of looking them up and down. Then he said, “Mom called. Wanted to make sure we were awake.”

Reaching for Steve, Jonathan asked, “Wanna join us?”

“Fuck yeah.”

They ended up being only a little late to the gift opening/brunch that Karen had insisted on having. Jonathan held back a few extra minutes, taking their bags to the car and then checking out.

The woman at the front desk looked at the record in her computer. “Oh, the honeymoon suite! Congratulations!”

Thumbing his ring again, Jonathan said, “Thank you,” even though it had been Steve and Nancy’s wedding. When he’d been standing up on the dais at the front of the wedding hall, watching Nancy come down the aisle, it had _felt_ like she was coming for him, too. Besides, the day before had been for all of them together. The public wedding was just for the public.

Well, and for Steve too, he supposed, smiling at the memory of Steve being obsessed with how Nancy looked in her wedding dress.

Leaving the front desk, Jonathan went down the hallway to the meeting room they’d booked for the brunch and present opening get together. He let himself in, noting that most of the family was there already, except for Hop, Jenny, and Holly. A lot of Nancy’s extended family was there too. Everyone was sitting in a rough semicircle around Steve and Nancy, paper plates on their laps. Charlie nursed a styrofoam cup of coffee and glared at him when he nudged her in greeting.

As soon as he saw the food laid out on the table in the back of the room, Jonathan realized how hungry he was. The whole day before had been so busy, it hardly left time for eating. After loading up his plate, he joined the rest of the party, leaning up against the wall not too far from his spouses.

Jonathan let the conversation wash over him, not really participating, just enjoying being in the same room as most of the people he loved. Nancy was right to worry about what was going to happen with the fallout of what he and Charlie had done. A little voice deep in Jonathan’s heart told him to savor this while he could.

“Oh, Jonathan,” his mother said, getting his attention. She gestured him to a chair just to Nancy’s left. “Can you help them organize the gifts they open?”

Smiling, because he knew this was her way of making sure he was included in the wedding festivities, Jonathan took the seat. He helped pile up the gifts as Nancy and Steve unwrapped them, keeping a list so they could write thank you cards after the honeymoon.

They were near the end of the pile when Nancy opened a rectangular package and laughed.

“Another toaster?” Jonathan asked her.

“Another toaster.” She handed it to Jonathan, who wrote it down. “At least we have our pick of the one we’ll keep.”

Jonathan didn’t mention the fact that they had already had a toaster at their apartment.

“Thank you so much, everyone,” Steve said, resting his arm on the back of Nancy’s chair. “Really. And thank you for coming all the way here. We know it would’ve been easier for a lot of you if we’d had the wedding in Hawkins.”

“Don’t worry about it, darling,” Harriet said, reaching forward and patting Steve’s knee. “Chicago is a lovely city. It’s wonderful to get to see the life you’ve made for yourselves.”

The bright flare of happiness coming off Steve in that moment made Jonathan that much more determined to shelter his spouses from the complications of his relationship with the government. The tape was a good start, but he couldn’t help but think that he needed more leverage to _really_ get them to leave him to this life of his.


	9. Chapter 9

After the long flight, Nancy was excited to be in Paris, but also exhausted. Their flight had been overnight, which meant it was mid-morning and they couldn’t even get into their hotel room for _hours_. As they watched for their bags going around the carousel, Nancy leaned her head against Jonathan’s shoulder. Her suitcase came through relatively early, and Jonathan’s wasn’t far behind.

As they waited for Steve’s bag, Nancy looked around at the baggage claim. “Do all airports look like this one?” she asked Jonathan.

Looking around, he shrugged. “More or less. Sometimes I forget which one I’m at.”

“I want that,” she told him. “I want to be able to travel, to find out what’s going on in all the corners of the world.” Squeezing his arm, she looked up at him and asked, “Have you thought anymore about applying for photojournalism jobs?”

“Yeah, I have,” Jonathan told her with a smile. “You want me with you when you explore those corners of the world?”

“More than anything.”

With a nod, Jonathan asked, “What about Steve? If we’re always working, leaving him behind? He can’t be a teacher like that.”

“I guess you’re right,” Nancy said. She sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder again. She didn’t like the thought of Steve sitting at home alone, missing them. “Maybe I’ll tell them I can only travel a certain amount of the year. That my family is too important to me.”

“Sounds like a good compromise,” Jonathan told her. He kissed the top of her head. “I think you’re going to like traveling. More than I have.”

“I think so too.”

Steve came back to them, a harried look on his face. “My bag’s not there. That’s all the bags from our flight, but mine isn’t with them.”

“We should ask someone about it.”

Holding out his hand, Jonathan said, “Gimme your claim check. I’ll go ask. Sometimes the agents react better if you ask in their language.”

Steve handed it over, and they watched Jonathan walk toward the little baggage office. His confidence looked good on him.

Double checking the tag on her own bag, Nancy was pleased again at the fact that it said, “Byers, N.”

Looking up at Steve, she asked him, “So, Mr. Byers. What do you think we should do first?”

He smiled and kissed her. “Well, Mrs. Byers, I could really go for an early lunch. Maybe the hotel will have a suggestion of where to go when we drop off our bags.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Nodding over at the chairs lining the wall, she said, “Let’s go sit over there. How is sitting in an airplane seat all night so exhausting?”

“I don’t know,” Steve said, but he picked up Jonathan’s duffel bag, putting the strap over his shoulder. Nancy lifted her own suitcase, but Steve took it from her. “Let me.”

“Are you going to be one of those husbands who think their wife can’t do anything by herself?” Nancy asked, following him to the side of the room.

“No,” he insisted with an amused laugh. “I know full well, you could totally kick my ass. I just thought I would be nice, since you said you were tired.” He took Jonathan’s duffel bag off his shoulder and lowered it to the floor.

Nancy sat down in one of the chairs, and Steve sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her. She leaned back, resting her head on him, just for a minute. She must have slipped into a doze, because she woke up when Jonathan spoke.

“They can’t find the bag. It might not have made the transfer in New York.” He sat down on Steve’s other side. “Sorry, baby. I gave them our hotel details for if they do find it.”

“Shit,” Steve said, rubbing a hand over his face. Looking over at Jonathan, he asked, “Can I borrow a shirt or two in the meantime?”

Jonathan nodded. “Your bag just had clothes, right?”

“And my shave kit. We put the important stuff in yours.” He nudged the bag on the floor with his foot.

“What important stuff?” Nancy asked, stretching and yawning.

Leaning close, Steve murmured in her ear, “We brought your strap on with us.”

Nancy laughed and shook her head. “Of course you did. I can’t believe I _forgot_ it, honestly. I just…” she shrugged. “I was thinking about seeing all the sights, not about sex.”

“Luckily, I think about sex enough for all of us,” Steve said with a soft laugh before standing up. “Come on. Let’s go get a taxi or whatever.”

“Let’s.”

~*~

Steve watched Jonathan talk with the waiter, understanding _none_ of what they were saying, and he was very glad he was sitting down. After the waiter left to put their order in, Jonathan turned to Steve and asked, “What?”

Leaning close, Steve told him, “I’ve never really seen you speak another language before. That was so sexy.”

Jonathan laughed, but when they looked over at Nancy, Steve could tell that she thought similarly. “Really?” Jonathan asked her.

Nancy nodded.

“What did you order for us, anyway?” Steve asked, taking a drink of his water. It was weird without ice, but not _bad_. Still, it made him want to wait for the Coke he’d ordered.

“A few different things,” Jonathan told them. “Specialties they have. I figured we could share. Maybe order more of one if we like it.”

Hooking his ankle around Jonathan’s under the table, Steve told him, “I’ve only really had French food at La Grâce, and I’m not sure it was very,” he looked around and cleared his throat softly, “authentic.”

“I liked the food there,” Nancy insisted, folding her hand into Steve’s on the table. “I miss the leftovers you used to bring home.”

“Yeah, but you like me not having to work nights more, right?” Steve asked.

Nancy bit her lip and looked away, which made Jonathan laugh.

“Love you too, sweetpea,” Steve joked, squeezing Nancy’s hand. “Maybe the food here will ruin La Grâce for you, and you won’t miss it as much.”

“I’ll miss Paris instead.”

“Not the prices, though,” Jonathan said with a bit of a grimace, taking a piece of bread from the basket and ripping it in half. “I think we’ll have to find a bakery or something a little cheaper for breakfast. I can usually root out the good hole-in-the-wall places.”

“Helps to have a husband with superpowers,” Steve said softly, just in case the nearby people understood English. He thought a lot of the people here probably did.

“What did you see last time you were here?” Nancy asked, taking a piece of bread for herself. She let go of Steve’s hand so she could spread butter onto it.

Shrugging, Jonathan said, “Not much. Mostly just camped out in an apartment, listening to what was going on next door.”

“Would it be okay for you to show us where that happened?” Nancy asked. “I mean, you don’t have to give us any specifics, but maybe just the neighborhood? The places you ate?”

Nodding, Steve took another sip of his water and said, “That would be cool. We never really get to know much about what you did while you were gone.” He rubbed Jonathan’s foot a little with his own.

“Sure,” Jonathan said, looking down a little, but Steve could see the little smile he had on his face. “I’d like that.”

~*~

Jonathan looked out over the city, his shoulder pressed against Nancy’s, Steve’s arm around Nancy, his hand on Jonathan’s back. People here seemed to care less and read less into it when he and Steve touched each other. It was nice in a devastating way that Jonathan hadn’t expected.

As dusk fell, the city’s lights flicked on one after the other. Unable to just capture the moment with his memory, Jonathan raised his camera and took a shot with a slow shutter speed, hoping to capture the beauty, despite the dim light.

“It’s romantic up here,” Nancy said, winding her arm around his waist. “I can’t believe you’ve been to Paris twice and you never came up in the Eiffel Tower.”

“There wasn’t time to be a tourist,” Jonathan told her again. Stepping out of her arm and back, Jonathan raised his camera again. “Just keep looking out at the city.”

“Someday we’re gonna get sick of being your models.” Nancy leaned on the railing again, Steve wrapped around her, leaning his chin on the top of her head.

“Is that day today?” Jonathan asked as he lined up the shot.

“No,” she said, a little smile turning up the corner of her mouth. Jonathan snapped the picture. Then he changed the shutter speed and took another, sure that the lighting from the Tower itself gave their faces enough illumination for them to be too blown out with the longer speed meant for the city.

“It is romantic up here,” Jonathan said, looking at his spouses fondly. “Can I get one of you kissing?”

Nancy grinned at him as she turned in Steve’s arms. She crossed her wrists behind Steve’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. Jonathan took a couple shots before they separated. Lowering his camera, he said, “That’s gonna be a good one to frame.”

“I want one of the three of us.”

Looking at the people around them, he found the closest one who felt trustworthy. She was probably a few years older than them, and appeared to be alone. He switched his camera settings to something a little more user-friendly before holding it out to her, “ _Pourraiz-vous nous prendre en photo, s'il vous plaît_?”

The French seemed to catch her off guard, and she asked in English with an American accent, “You want me to take a picture?”

“Yes, please,” Jonathan said. “Of the three of us.”

“Okay.” She put the camera up to her eye. “Say cheese!”

Jonathan tried not to roll his eyes, but he put on a smile as best he could.

The woman handed the camera to Jonathan, asking, “Where are you from?”

“Chicago,” Jonathan told her, putting the camera strap over his neck.

“What about you?” Steve asked her. “You’re from the states?”

“New Mexico,” she told them, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Gesturing to the ring on Jonathan’s hand, the woman asked, “What, did you leave your wife back in Chicago?”

The tiny flare of hope that rose in her chest made Jonathan shake his head. “No, she’s,” he looked over at Nancy, but Steve was wrapped around her. He couldn’t exactly tell a stranger that his wife was right there, along with his husband. The lie rolled off his tongue before he even had to think about it. “She’s at the hotel. Bit of a headache.”

The woman’s face fell. “Oh. Isn’t she mad she’s missing the Eiffel tower?”

Thinking about what excuse his fictional wife could have, Jonathan stuttered. Steve saved him, saying, “We came once during the day already. She’s just missing the evening lights.”

“Oh, well that’s not too bad.” She gave them a friendly wave. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too, Cindy,” Jonathan said, before realizing that she hadn’t given him her name.

He turned and walked away from her, gesturing the others to follow. If they got far enough away, maybe she wouldn’t demand answers.

Laughing as he followed, Steve asked in a whisper just over Jonathan’s shoulder. “Did you just read her mind?”

“Just a little bit,” Jonathan insisted, taking the lens cloth out of his camera bag and using it to wipe off the lens. “Hopefully she’ll think she forgot giving me her name.”

As they waited for the next elevator down, Nancy put her hand on Jonathan’s arm. “Does that happen a lot? Accidentally reading details like that?”

“Not _a lot_ a lot,” Jonathan insisted. “I was just trying to make sure she wasn’t going to try running off with my camera. Her name just slipped in with everything else.”

“She seemed, I don’t know, single,” Steve said, reaching over and brushing his thumb over Jonathan’s ring. “Guess this scared her off.”

“Guess so.” Jonathan smiled. “I like wearing it, and not just as a way to scare off people looking for a boyfriend.”

Smiling at him and putting her hand in his, Nancy said, “It looks really good on you.”

“Thanks.”

Steve put his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, leaning in and whispering, “The French sounds really good in your voice, sweetheart.” Jonathan smiled at the lust Steve was leaking.

“ _Dois-je dire que je t'aime ce soir_?” he asked, grinning when they both reacted positively.

The elevator opened, and after it emptied, Jonathan, gestured for Nancy to go first. “ _Après toi, ma petite choupette_.”

“Fuck, stop!” Nancy hissed as she passed him. Pulling him into the far corner of the elevator, she added, “I’m not going to make it back to the hotel if you keep talking like that.”

Steve stood next to them, a similar sentiment in the way he held his clasped hands a little _too_ carefully in front of his crotch.

Unable to keep himself from chuckling, Jonathan told him, “Sorry. I’ll save it for now.”

When Steve said, “Thanks,” his voice was a little strangled.

~*~

The walk back to the hotel from Notre-Dame was pleasant enough, especially when they stopped at a small cafe for lunch. Nancy thought she might never want another sandwich if it wasn’t served on a croissant. As they finished lunch with a variety of little desserts, she noticed Jonathan had grown quieter than usual. Leaning close, she asked him in a soft voice, “Are you okay?”

She saw him start to reassure her, start to lie, but he stopped when she raised an eyebrow. He sighed and then admitted, “No.”

“What is it?”

“I…” he shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Shit, I need…”

“What do you need, honey?” Nancy asked, brushing her hand back over his hair. “Do you want to go back to the hotel?”

Shaking his head, he told her, “I’m having trouble resetting my shield. There’s too much— too many—”

Looking around, Nancy realized that the cafe was in a dense area of the city, heavy with foot traffic, _full_ of people. “Can’t say I blame you. Jesus.” Nodding to Steve across the table, she asked, “Will you settle the bill and ask them where the nearest open space is?”

A concerned frown on his face, Steve nodded. As he passed, he trailed his fingers across Jonathan’s back. Nancy thought he probably wouldn’t have done that if they’d been at a cafe in Chicago. Maybe it was because they knew they were leaving Paris in a few days, maybe it was because they’d seen the people here be more casual and free in their platonic touches. Nancy thought she was going to miss that, was going to miss seeing her husbands as comfortable as they’d been here.

Taking Jonathan’s hand, Nancy leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Does this always happen when you travel?”

Jonathan shook his head and squeezed her hand. “Usually I’m with Charlie. We… we take turns helping each other balance out. I forgot I wasn’t going to have that on this trip.”

“If I could help you, I would,” Nancy whispered, kissing his head again. “I’m sorry I can’t.”

“It’s not your fault,” he assured her, looking up as Steve came back.

Putting a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, Steve said, “I _think_ I got directions to an open space. Can you walk?”

Nodding, Jonathan took the hand from his temple and used it to help push off the table, getting to his feet. Gesturing for Steve to take the lead, Nancy followed, holding tight to Jonathan’s hand as they got out from between the cafe tables and onto the sidewalk proper. Once they had more room to walk side-by-side, Nancy put Jonathan’s arm over her shoulders.

Steve hung back a step, letting them catch up and taking his place on Jonathan’s other side. “There’s a park over here. This time of day it shouldn’t be too busy.”

“Lead the way.”

Twenty minutes later they found themselves in the middle of a park, laying on the lawn under a shady tree. Jonathan had one arm over his eyes, blocking out all the light as he put the pieces of his shield back together. Looking at her watch, Nancy said, “Let’s see the Louvre tomorrow. We’ll use this afternoon to rest.”

“Sure,” Steve agreed, leaning over Jonathan to put a kiss on her shoulder. “What’s a vacation without some down time?”

“You guys could go do something without me,” Jonathan told them.

Nancy put a finger over his lips. “Shh. No. We’re taking care of you. End of story.”

“But—“

“If we went somewhere without you,” Steve said, putting his hand on Jonathan’s chest, “we’d just be thinking about how much we missed you.”

A slight smile formed under Nancy’s finger, so she pulled it back. Jonathan put his free hand over Steve’s. “I guess if you were gonna get sick of me, you would’ve said something before the wedding.”

Nancy laughed softly, leaning over to kiss him. “You’re stuck with us now, Mr. Byers.” She put her hand over Jonathan’s and Steve’s.

With a chuckle, and then a sigh, Jonathan uncovered his eyes and placed that hand on top of hers. “Well, Mrs. Byers, Mr. Byers, I think I’m ready to head back to the hotel.”

“You’re sure?” Steve asked him.

Blinking a few times before looking over at Steve, Jonathan said, “Yeah. This really helped. Thank you.”

Steve’s warm smile in response made Nancy’s heart clench with the force of her love for both of them. She wanted to kiss both of them too, but since they were in public, Nancy settled for another soft kiss laid on Jonathan’s lips as she tried to think peaceful, loving thoughts.

“Thank you, Nancy,” he mumbled against her lips.

“You’re welcome.” She kissed him once more, for good measure.

~*~

Before going to the most famous art museum in the world, Steve figured he would be pretty bored. He’d agreed to go because Nancy and Jonathan were excited, and he figured he would spend the whole time following them around. As he suspected, the art was cool, but not particularly moving for him. It was cool that stuff made by people a long time ago had survived and they could still see it today, but the art itself? Wasn’t for him.

What did move Steve was watching the faces of the two people he loved most in the whole world as they delighted in _everything_. Neither of them were particularly loud or grand with their expressions, but Steve noticed the way Jonathan’s lips parted, he saw the way Nancy’s eyes lit up. They were having the time of their lives, and Steve felt privileged just to be able to watch them.

The honeymoon would end two days later and they would have to go home, back to their normal lives. The Monday after they got home, he had to start training and lesson planning for the first week of school. Jonathan’s birthday would follow soon after. Then Halloween, Thanksgiving in Hawkins, Christmas in Springfield, New Year’s in Chicago.

Things felt _set_ , permanent in a way they hadn’t quite felt before. Steve had known since he decided to move with Jonathan and his family out of Hawkins that this thing was going to be it for him. Now he had proof, wrapped around his left ring finger, that Jonathan and Nancy felt the same about him.

Steve had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky. Maybe this was his reward, for having gone through everything he had during high school and the year afterward. Things were still _weird_ , given what his husband could do, but they weren’t as terrifying and anxiety-inducing anymore. Maybe things would get difficult again. There was always a chance that the demogorgons could come back, or that the remnants of Execugen would reemerge, but in a way, Steve felt like maybe they were ready for any of those things.

They had each other. They had their family. Steve and Nancy both had jobs in the careers they wanted. Jonathan might get out from under the government’s thumb. Things were so, so good.

“Oh, I want to go to this other room,” Nancy said, showing Jonathan her map of the museum. Steve put his arm around Nancy’s shoulders and walked with them, fully prepared to follow them both for the rest of his life.

~*~

“Our apartment doesn’t feel any different,” Nancy said, dropping down onto their familiar bed next to Jonathan.

“Why would it?” he asked, rubbing his hand up and down Steve’s back. He was pretty sure Steve was asleep, his head heavy on Jonathan’s shoulder, his arm lax across Jonathan’s chest. “We’ve lived here for three years.”

Shrugging, Nancy laid down next to him, propping her head up with her hand. “I don’t know. We’re married now. I thought it would feel different somehow.”

Jonathan smiled, reaching for Nancy and gently tugging her close enough that he could kiss her without getting out from under Steve. “I’m glad it doesn’t feel any different,” he told her, pressing a kiss to Steve’s forehead as well. “I mean, what if it _did_ feel different? What would it say about the relationship we had before?”

Nancy appeared to think this over for a moment before laughing as she said, “I have no idea.”

Mumbling against Jonathan’s shoulder, Steve stirred. Jonathan pet his hair and kissed his forehead until he fell back asleep.

Laying back on the pillows, Nancy took Jonathan’s other hand, holding it between them. “I’ll ask Mr. Gardner tomorrow about getting you some work.”

Jonathan whispered, “Thanks.” He didn’t want to rely on his wife to get him a job, but he wasn’t naïve enough to let an opportunity pass him by due to pride.

As he fell asleep, Jonathan listened to his spouses breathing, and felt as safe as he ever had. He wasn’t sure where his career was going, or where it _could_ go if the government decided the tape wasn’t enough for them to give him up. None of that mattered right now. Instead of staying up, worrying about what would happen, Jonathan fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**September 1990**

After his first day of teacher prep, Steve let his friend Helen pull him across the faculty room to a group of younger ladies. “Girls!” Helen cried with a grin. “This is Steve, the new PE teacher I was telling you about. Steve was a year behind me at UIC.”

“Uh, hey,” Steve said, giving the women what he hoped was a polite wave. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, he’s gonna have trouble,” said one of them with a laugh. “Especially with all the little 13 year old girls.”

“What?” Steve asked, frowning over at Helen, hoping she would clue him in. “Why?”

Rolling her eyes, one of the teachers said, “Honey, they’re gonna get crushes on you!”

One of the others pointed to Steve’s left hand. “The wedding ring will help.”

Still grinning, Helen said, “Oh, you should bring in some of the pictures.” She told the others, “It was _such_ a beautiful wedding.”

“What’s your wife’s name?”

As much as he usually didn’t mind being the center of attention, Steve began to feel a little overwhelmed. “Nancy,” he told them, turning his ring on his finger. “She’s a reporter at the Tribune.”

“You know, it’s too bad you’re married,” Helen said. “Because Sally has been _looking_ for a new Mr. Right.”

The teacher who must have been Sally scoffed and turned red. “Helen!”

Hoping to ease some of her embarrassment with humor, Steve gave Sally a crooked smile and said, “Sorry! I’m a one-woman man!”

He was also a one-man man, but they didn’t need to know that.

Laughing, Helen said, “Oh, I was just teasing.” Then she got a look on her face. “What about your friend, Jonathan? Your best man?”

It was Steve’s turn to feel a little red in the face. “Oh, yeah, no. He’s not available.”

“You know what?” Helen asked, shaking her head. “I knew that. I saw his wedding ring at the reception. Was his wife at the wedding?”

_Technically_ , she had been.

“No, she wasn’t. She couldn’t come,” Steve lied, hoping he wouldn’t have to produce Jonathan’s mystery wife at some point in the future. He also hoped he wouldn’t have to suggest more friends for Sally to date. Most of his male friends were _gay_.

Wanting to change the topic, Steve said, “Anyway, what subjects do you guys teach?”

The conversation moved on, and Steve hoped that was going to be the extent of the interrogation into his romantic life. He was new, and he needed his fellow teachers and his bosses to like him. That way, if he slipped up and was seen a little too close to Jonathan in public, maybe they’d forgive him, or not believe it.

Maybe eventually, if Leo and his activist friends were successful, people wouldn’t care as much that Steve wasn’t straight. All he wanted them to think about was whether or not he was a good teacher. Not the fact that he was in love with two people. Not the fact that one of them was a man.

~*~

“I still think it’s too small,” Jonathan said, pulling on the hem of his suit jacket.

Nancy gave a tut and straightened his lapel. “It’s tailored, honey. It’s just not as loose as you usually wear your clothes.”

“I guess.” His heart hammering in his chest, he looked at the doors to the meeting room. Any minute now.

To distract himself, he said to Nancy, “You didn’t have to come all the way here to D.C. They’re not even going to let you in the room.”

“I know,” she said, smiling up at him. “But I wanted to be here for you. Steve would be here too, if he could.”

Jonathan nodded. He’d been able to tell how regretful Steve had felt when they said goodbye at the airport. Unlike Nancy, Steve hadn’t been able to take vacation days with just a week’s notice. Of course, he also got most of the summer as vacation. Jonathan thought, if today worked out, he’d plan a trip for the three of them for next summer. Mexico, maybe. Or the Bahamas. That might be nice.

The door to the meeting room opened. “They’re ready for you,” said a man with an ID badge on his lapel.

Jonathan gave Nancy a kiss on the cheek, then followed the man into the room. It was like just about any government meeting room Jonathan had ever been in. A square of tables had been set up in the center of the room, and the men wearing highly decorated uniforms sat around three edges of this square. Jonathan was shown to a chair in the middle of the fourth side.

“Jonathan Nicholas Byers, of Chicago, Illinois,” said Chairman Paulson, who was wearing his Army general’s uniform. Jonathan had seen him on the news before, but had never spoken to him in person. “Age, 23. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Jonathan replied.

“We’ve called this meeting to discuss the matter of your service under this body.” The chairman flipped through a few more pages. “You were drafted into service on February 12th, 1988. Is that correct?”

As far as Jonathan could remember, it was close enough to the right date. “Yeah, I think so.”

“As part of this agreement, we saw to it that illegal human experimentation and genetic engineering was put to a halt. Execugen, its subsidiaries, and all its partners have been shut down.”

They had? This was the first Jonathan had heard about it. He knew he and Charlie had been getting fewer jobs related to Execugen and more overseas, but no one had been particularly concerned with telling him _why_.

Paulson seemed to register Jonathan’s surprise, but didn’t mention it when he spoke again. “On the fourteenth of last month, you were released in the middle of a mission by your commanding officer, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Jonathan said, knowing better than to start explaining and give away too much. God, he wished Charlie was here with him.

“And is it also correct that you were released in such a manner because you blackmailed your commanding officer?”

Narrowing his eyes at the chairman, Jonathan tried to guess the answer he wanted. He flipped through the man’s memories before realizing something. “I objected to the murder of a prisoner by his men. You have no evidence that I blackmailed him.”

Paulson pressed his lips together, displeased. “Hmm.”

Jonathan started making his argument, saying, “Not to mention the fact that the draft hasn’t been invoked since 1973. Even back then, draftees only had to serve for 18 months. You’ve had me on the hook for two and a half _years_.”

“Not continuously,” said the Navy admiral, but Jonathan could feel the way his argument landed on deaf ears with the others.

Paulson sighed. “Is it that you don’t want to serve your country anymore? Have you been compromised by a foreign power?”

“No!” Jonathan insisted. “I mean… I don’t mind _helping_ , I just…” He wished he could project his thoughts on the matter into their heads like he did with Charlie. Finding the words he needed had never felt so difficult before. “I want to be able to opt out, to get the details of a mission and have the option of sitting that one out.” Looking down at his hands, he admitted, “I just want to live my life.”

All of the chiefs looked around at each other. The Marine general, who had yet to speak, said, “Your record speaks for itself, Mr. Byers. Your help has been _invaluable_ to the security of this nation. I think my colleagues just want assurances that you won’t use your abilities against us.” He raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps as you used them against Lt. Colonel Johnson?”

“How am I supposed to assure you?” Jonathan asked, spreading his hands out to emphasize he was trying to be upfront with them. “I have no interest in being a traitor. I didn’t ask for any of this. I just want to be a normal guy.”

He thought it ironic that when he was a kid, he used to think being normal was the worst thing he could think of being. Now, it was all he wanted.

The chiefs looked at each other, then Paulson told him, “I would like to confer with my colleagues for a moment. Would you step out of the room for a moment?”

That was it? He thought he was going to have to talk to them for _hours_. Except he was being asked to step out for just a moment, which meant they were going to ask him back, right? Trying to hide his confusion, Jonathan nodded. He stood up and left, closing the door behind him. He wondered if anyone would realize that he could listen in on the conversation from just about anywhere, now that he’d met them.

“Hey!” Nancy called from her place in a chair down the hallway. She stood up and Jonathan met her halfway with a hug. “How did it go?”

“Good, I think,” he told her, holding on tightly. “They wanted to talk about something among themselves.”

His eyes closed, Jonathan nudged at Charlie. _It’s going well so far. They don’t have anything more than the Lt. Colonel’s word._

Charlie gave him a positive acknowledgment, and a little boost of encouragement.

Jonathan told Nancy, “I feel like I could’ve expressed myself a little better. Why is it so hard to speak?”

“Because your brain does so many other interesting things,” Nancy told him, pulling his head down so she could kiss his forehead. Jonathan laughed and nodded. “Do you want to sit down for a bit?”

Jonathan nodded, letting Nancy lead him over to a chair and fuss over him.

Sitting with his head on her shoulder, Jonathan asked, “What if they won’t let me go? What if they decide the tape getting out isn’t worth losing what I can do? What if they do something that’s going to keep me away from you?”

“There’s always Steve’s run-away-to-Borneo plan,” Nancy whispered back, kissing him.

“That’s true. They know about all the Execugen kids, though. I bet they could get one of them to track us down.”

“Are you kidding?” Nancy asked. “With how much El talks to all of them? They love her, which means they won’t do anything to us.”

“Maybe she’s missed one.”

Squeezing him in her arms again, Nancy said, “We’re not going to worry about that, okay? We’re not going to worry about things that _might_ happen. We’re just going to worry about what we can control.”

Nodding, Jonathan thought again, just for a moment, that wanting to keep Nancy and Steve was selfish of him. If he’d left them, back when all this started, they would’ve gotten over him. They wouldn’t have to worry about him now.

“Don’t,” Nancy said, petting his hair again. “Whatever’s giving you that look on your face, no. Don’t even think it.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh softly at her attitude. “Are you sure _you’re_ not a mind reader?”

“I just know you.” She kissed him. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“We’ll deal. Alright?”

“Alright.” Jonathan grasped Nancy’s hand, squeezing it in thanks. This would have been so much harder without her here with him.

“Mr. Byers?” Called a man from down the hallway.

Nodding, Jonathan stood up. He squeezed Nancy’s hand once more before dropping it and heading back to face the music. Going into the room, he sat back down in the chair they indicated. Just so he wouldn’t fidget, he put his hands on the table, clasping them together.

“Mr. Byers,” said General Paulson, looking him right in the eyes. “We’ve done a bit of deliberation. As you know, we’ve been able to use the intelligence you’ve gathered to great effect.”

Jonathan nodded. That’s what they’d told him, anyway.

“Could you give us an estimate, perhaps, on how much more difficult it would be for Miss Everly to do this job without your assistance?”

Looking around at the men that probably knew more about his and Charlie’s abilities than anyone else outside their families, he supposed there was no reason to lie. “She’ll have a harder time accessing information from human targets. She can’t access memories as easily as I can.”

Turning a page in his folder, the Air Force General to Jonathan’s left said, “Miss Everly specializes in infiltration and extraction?”

Jonathan nodded. Those were good words for what she did.

The general nodded and turned another page. “It looks like she does a lot of the heavy lifting on your missions.”

Unsure of what he meant by that, Jonathan said, “Um, I suppose so. If we can get the information safely without having to make contact with enemy agents, that’s what we’re directed to do. She does, um. I mean, I help her a lot. Lend her some of my strength.”

The man considered this for a moment before asking, “Is it your opinion that Miss Everly could not be an effective agent without your help?”

“Why?”

A man from the other side of the table, on Jonathan’s right, said, “It is our understanding that she would like to continue to work for this government. Can she do the job without you?” He was wearing a civilian suit, which made Jonathan think he was probably from one of the intelligence agencies.

Jonathan was torn. On the one hand, he didn’t want to get in the way of Charlie pursuing a career she wanted. On the other hand, he despised the idea of not being able to watch over her, to protect her. What if she got herself into trouble, real trouble? It was always a risk, and they’d had a few close calls over the years.

He needed more information.

_Is it true? You want to keep working for them?_

Charlie responded affirmatively. _I can’t give up doing something I’m_ good _at. Not yet. This past month has been…_ The rest of her message was just a vague, uncomfortably bored feeling.

Focusing on the here-and-now, Jonathan nodded. “Charlie can do the job without me. But…” He sighed, not quite unable to let go. “I’d like to make the decision, whether or not to go with her. If it’s a difficult mission and something happened to her? I’d never forgive myself.”

General Paulson frowned at Jonathan for a second before taking a sharp breath and saying, “You claim to be Miss Everly’s cousin, but that relationship isn’t in the records. You don’t have any ancestors in common going back to when each of them came to this country. What is your relationship with her?”

“She’s adopted,” Jonathan told them. “I’m related to her birth father.”

“How?”

“Why do you need to know?”

Paulson frowned at Jonathan, obviously pissed. He shifted in his seat before admitting, “We’re studying the way this ability is passed down. Our geneticists only have a few family trees to work from, and yours is one of them. It would help us narrow down people who might need special services.”

Jonathan scoffed. “You mean people you can recruit?”

He didn’t answer.

On the one hand, these people already knew everything about Execugen and the abuses Jonathan and others suffered under them. Why would this extra bit of information matter? On the other hand, they might realize just how much they could use Charlie’s safety to keep him under their thumbs.

Maybe he needed to know more. “What do you know about what happened in the vicinity of Logan, Oregon between 1983 and 1987?”

The men looked at each other, and the one in civilian clothes opened a file, looked through it for a moment, then spoke up. “Charlotte Everly lived in Logan from her birth in 1965 through 1987, when she moved to Chicago. Save a few months in Portland during the summer of 1983, of course. There were a number of disappearances in Logan during the time period you mentioned. Are you implying that Miss Everly had something to do with those disappearances? There’s a note here that no connection could be made by our investigation.”

They’d investigated Cedarville? Jonathan supposed it made sense. They couldn’t have Charlie working for them if she was actually a serial killer or something. Still, they hadn’t found anyone who talked about what had happened? Jonathan shook his head. Nancy had been the one to convince people to keep the secret. Of course they hadn’t talked.

“Charlie wasn’t _responsible_ for the disappearances,” Jonathan said with as much clarity as he could muster. “But she was the center of the phenomenon that caused them.”

“What phenomenon?”

Jonathan tried to remember the words Will and Mike used. “It was a disturbance—a ripple, or an echo, I guess—in the fabric of space.” He let that concept settle in for a second before adding, “And _time_.”

“Time?” asked the man on Jonathan’s left. “Like, _Back to the Future_?”

“Kind of,” Jonathan admitted.

“She came from the future?” asked the man in charge.

Knowing he’d taken this far enough that he had to see it through, he said, “No. Her parents traveled to the past.”

“So, who are her parents? Two of the people on this list of disappearances?”

“They’re not on that list.”

“Why?”

“We managed to come back.”

“ _We_? Are you–” General Paulson looked around incredulously at the others in the room. “Are you telling us that you’re not related to her father? You _are_ her father?”

Jonathan nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“She’s _older_ than you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Time travel?” The Marine General scoffed. “It’s not possible. You’re having us on! The _disrespect_ is astounding!”

Shifting uneasily in his seat, Jonathan insisted, “I mean no disrespect. That’s what happened.”

“For god’s sake, Chatham,” said Paulson, “you’ve seen the sort of things Miss Everly is capable of. Why not this as well?”

“Why not?”

Before Chatham could get momentum on his rant, the intelligence man asked, “Who was, or is, her mother?”

“My wife, Nancy,” Jonathan told them, gesturing toward the door and the hallway beyond. “She’s here with me today.”

“Bring her in,” said the man in charge to the man guarding the door.

Jonathan felt Nancy’s sudden spike of fear, but when she came into the room, her face was carefully expressionless. Chatham squinted at her, holding up a piece of paper that Jonathan thought might have been a photograph. “I suppose it’s possible.” He handed the photo to the man on his right. “The resemblance is there.”

Nancy gave Jonathan a questioning look, so he mouthed in her direction, “Charlie.”

She frowned at him. “Why—”

Jonathan told her, “Charlie wants to keep doing this. They need to be able to trust her.”

Nancy crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, but she held her tongue.

Paulson gave Nancy a once-over before addressing Jonathan again. “Since Miss Everly has indicated she would like to continue working for us, we are planning to ask her to move here to D.C. If you’d like to be involved on a discretionary basis…” He sighed, letting the implication hang in the air.

“You want me to move here, too,” Jonathan finished for him. Reaching for Nancy and grateful when she took his hand, Jonathan told them, “Nancy just started a position at the Chicago Tribune. We can’t move. Not now.” He didn’t mention Steve’s job. He was fairly certain this group of men knew he and Steve were in a relationship, but he didn’t want to bring it up and possibly earn their homophobic ire.

The intelligence man asked Nancy, “What if you were able to secure a position with a news organization here in D.C.?”

Nancy squeezed Jonathan’s hand before answering. “It would have to be at a newspaper at least as prestigious as the Tribune. I’m not derailing my career by moving to some nowhere paper. I graduated top of my class from Northwestern.”

The Navy admiral on the other side of the room raised a finger. “My squash partner is the news editor of the Post. Would that do?”

Jonathan felt the way Nancy’s excitement zapped through her. She calmly licked her lips. “I would have to know the details of the position before I made a decision.” Her eyes cutting over to Jonathan, she added, “Jonathan is trying to get his photojournalism career off the ground, as well. That would be another consideration.”

“Noted.” Paulson looked around the room before nodding to Jonathan. “You’re dismissed. Make sure my secretary knows how to reach you.”

Thinking about the number scrawled in his address book, Jonathan nodded. “I will.”

Still holding onto Nancy’s hand, Jonathan left the room. A guard followed them all the way to the main lobby of the Pentagon, returning Jonathan’s wave as they headed for the exit.

Once they were outside, waiting to hail a taxi, Jonathan asked, “What do you think?”

“About what?”

Smiling at her need to specify, as if anything else this monumental had happened to them lately, Jonathan asked, “About moving here? They’ll let me choose whether or not to go with Charlie. I’ll be home more often.”

“Yeah, but home will be half the country away from our families, rather than half a day’s drive,” Nancy pointed out.

“Our siblings already moved to California. Everyone’s getting used to only getting together a few times a year.”

Nancy nodded, still seeming pensive as a taxi pulled up. She got in first, giving the driver their hotel as Jonathan followed.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Nancy said, “Steve will have to find a new job, too.”

“There are lots of schools here.”

“That’s true.” Nancy looked out the window as they made their way over the Potomac toward Capitol Hill. “D.C. could probably propel my career farther than Chicago ever could.”

“Mine too,” Jonathan realized. To be this close to the center of where everything happened? It was a journalist’s dream. He could be taking pictures of the president! Not that he wanted anywhere near that moldy, homophobic bastard, but he would be out of office soon enough.

“If we were making enough, we might be able to buy a house,” Nancy suggested, and the thought made Jonathan smile.

He interlaced his fingers with Nancy’s, her warm palm pressing against his. He thought about owning a house with her, and with Steve. They could buy one with more space than their apartment. Maybe one with enough room for a growing family. “I’d like that.”

“Me too.”

~*~

**July 1991**

“I didn’t know it was possible, but July in D.C. is worse than back in Indiana,” Steve said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his shirt. “Why did we have to move during summer?”

“Because you wanted to finish out the school year in Chicago,” Nancy told him, setting her box down on the kitchen floor. “At least you haven’t been living out of a hotel for the past six months. I’m not sure I recognize half the stuff we moved.”

“Hey,” Steve caught Nancy and pulled her into a kiss. “Let’s never do long distance ever again.”

Chuckling at the thought, Nancy nodded. At least Nancy’d had Jonathan here in D.C. most of the time. Steve had been alone back in Chicago, except for the one weekend every month or so they’d flown back to visit him. “Never. We belong together.”

“We do,” he said, kissing her again. Then he made a muffled noise of interest and backed her up against the kitchen counter.

Nancy laughed against his lips, though she could admit that the heat had her wanting to strip off her clothes. Steve’s too.

Before they got that far, a displeased clearing of a throat interrupted them. Feeling sheepish, Nancy looked over at where Jim was standing in the back entryway with one of the nightstands in his arms. “This goes upstairs?” he asked _very_ pointedly.

Clearing her throat and pushing the sweat off her face, Nancy nodded. “Yeah. The big bedroom at the top of the stairs. Thanks!”

Jim rolled his eyes as he turned toward the stairs and went up them. Jonathan was next through the back door, carrying a box through to the living room. As he came back past the kitchen, he leaned in and said, “We’re almost to the mattress, if you guys want to help with that.”

“I don’t know if I _want_ to,” Nancy said, catching him and pulling him into a quick kiss. “But I want to sleep in the bed tonight, so I will.”

“Ugh, that’s a good point,” Steve said. Then he frowned and said, “Fuck it,” before taking off his shirt. “It’s a skins sort of day.”

Nancy laughed, ogling him just for a second before looking over and noticing Jonathan doing the same. She poked Jonathan, saying, “You heard our husband. It’s a skins sort of day.”

“No,” Jonathan told her, swatting away her hand. “If I take off my shirt, someone is going to do something embarrassing in front of the parents. No.”

Giggling as she followed Jonathan back out to the truck, she told him, “When you’re right, you’re right.”

Less than an hour later, everything had been moved into the house. Nancy stood out on the sidewalk, looking at the front of their house. _Their house_! It wasn’t exactly a townhouse, since it was freestanding, but it was rather narrow, compared to the houses Nancy had grown up around. It stretched back pretty far, with a small, fenced back yard and a detached garage that had access from the alley behind. The house was painted blue, with a white door and white windowsills.

Nancy loved it.

Steve joined her, putting his bare arm over her shoulders. “You guys did a good job picking it out. It’s a great house.”

“Isn’t it? It feels like it’s gonna be _home_ , you know?” She smiled up at Steve.

“Yeah, I know.”

Jonathan joined them, standing close, but not touching. Nancy would bet he could tell one of the neighbors was watching. Either that or he was being extra cautious. Nancy made a mental note to put up curtains and blinds as soon as possible. The rest of the neighborhood didn’t need to know their business. They were happy together, and that’s what mattered.

“Have I mentioned how much I love that studio above the garage?” Jonathan asked, nudging Nancy’s shoulder with his own.

“Only about a million times,” Steve said with a laugh.

“It’s just going to be _so easy_ to convert it into a dark room.”

Nancy caught his fingers, just for a second. “You’d better not spend too much time up there. We want to see you sometimes too.”

“I won’t,” Jonathan assured her. Tugging on her wrist, he said, “Come on. We’re gonna order some pizzas for dinner.”

“Oh, yes!” Steve cried, taking his arm from around Nancy and heading for the door. “I’m starving.”

As Jonathan walked with her toward the front door, he said, “Welcome home, Mrs. Byers.”

Nancy grinned. “Welcome home, Mr. Byers.” As soon as he closed the door behind them, she pulled him into a soft kiss. It did feel like coming home.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go! This is the last chapter of the last installment of the series! Please let me know what you thought in the comments!
> 
> ***********IMPORTANT INFO***************  
> As I said, I will be taking down this series on May 1, 2021 so that I can adapt large portions of it as an original series. Feel free to save copies using AO3's download feature. If you would like a pdf version of the whole series, you can contact me by email (ptera.hitw@gmail.com) or on discord (Pterawaters#1925). All I ask is that you not upload the pdf (in whole or in part) anywhere public. 
> 
> Thank you so much for coming with me on this wild ride. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be shy about leaving comments! I'd love to hear what you thought!
> 
> If you want to recommend this fic, please consider reblogging [this tumblr post](https://pterawaters.tumblr.com/post/641852302533312513/now-and-for-alwayse-chapter-110-4060-words). Thanks!
> 
> You can find out more about me and my work on [tumblr](https://pterawaters.tumblr.com/) or [on my Stoncy discord](https://discord.gg/b8jRj7T83Z)!


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